By INNOCENT ANABA

Lagos — A Federal High Court in Lagos, yesterday, fixed January  7,  2014 for continuation of hearing in the money laundering case filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, against Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji and his Personal Assistant, Oyebode Atoyebi.

Ikuforiji and Atoyebi are being prosecuted before Justice Ibrahim Buba for allegedly accepting various cash on behalf of the Assembly without going through a financial institution.

At the resumed hearing,  yesterday, EFCC’s lawyer, Godwin Obla (SAN) continued with the testimony of the first prosecution witness, Adebayo Adedeji.

Adedeji, an investigating police officer with the EFCC, in his testimony, told the court that during investigation, Atoyebi said his job schedule included running errands for the Speaker and also collecting cash from the accounts department for the running of the Assembly by the Speaker.

The witness added that on each occasion Atoyebi collected money, he endorsed the collection with his signature, name and date. Besides, the EFCC operative highlighted how monies were collected and for what purposes.

For instance, Adedeji recalled that on August 2, 2011 N4.444 million was collected by Atoyebi for onward distribution to members of the Assembly to attend the National Council of State Legislators’ Conference in United States of America.

The witness told the court how a total sum of N2.725 million was also collected by Atoyebi to enable members of the Assembly participate in the Parliamentary Study Tours and Training in London on July 12, 2001.

At this stage, both the court and lawyers agreed that Obla should isolate the transactions he intended to highlight for the highly voluminous cash book so as to save the court from the stress of going through all the transactions.

The matter was thereafter adjourned till January 7, 8 and 10, 2014 for continuation of hearing.

During an interview with reporters outside the courtroom, the lead defence counsel, Tayo Oyetibo (SAN) said so far, the prosecution had not tendered anything incriminating against the Speaker.

He added that the number of witnesses to be called by the defence would be decided by the strength and character of the testimonies of the prosecution’s witnesses.