Court admits more documents in trial of accused money launderer, Mompha

 

 

ARINZE NWAFOR, GLORIA EZELE

 

An Ikeja Special Offences Court has admitted more documents in the ongoing trial in absentia of Ismaila Mustapha, a.k.a. Mompha, Monday.

 

Mompha’s trial in absentia commenced on June 3 before the court.

 

Mompha, regarded as a social media celebrity, is facing an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy and money laundering of over N6 billion before Justice Mojisola Dada.

 

Earlier in 2022, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Mompha alongside his company, Ismalob Global Investment Limited.

 

During resumed proceedings, Justice Dada admitted two documents in evidence against Mompha.

 

The prosecuting counsel for the EFCC, Suleiman Suleiman tendered the two documents including a report by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on the contents of Mompha’s iPhone, which the agency claimed was used for fraudulent practices.

 

The defence counsel led by Kolawole Salami objected to the admissibility of the two documents as evidence on the grounds that they are public documents and need to be certified by the United States Consulate.

 

“The documents are not a certified true copy, and should not be admitted in court,” Salami argued.

 

Justice Dada, however, overruled the defence counsel’s objection.

 

The court upheld the submission of the prosecution who maintained that the FBI documents were original.

 

“The documents do not require certification,” Dada ruled.

 

Earlier during cross-examination of the prosecution’s witness, the defence counsel, Salami, had called for the documents labelled as exhibit P2 and P3.

 

Salami argued that the FBI documents are only to be used in a legal proceeding after a separate communication has been made.

 

In his testimony, the prosecution witness, Solademi, responded that the separate communication needed to allow for the use of the FBI documents in court was why he was in court.

 

Solademi, who works at the Legal Attaché office of the FBI in Nigeria informed the court that he had retrieved an iPhone belonging to Mompha with a Faraday bag.

 

He said the FBI’s forensic operations revealed that Mompha’s iPhone was used to send account details to a United Arab Emirates (UAE) telephone number, search for Swift Codes of a bank and had a compromised Microsoft 365 account.

 

“The iPhone had a compromised Microsoft 365 account and attackers used a fraudulent domain to socially engineer communication to their (Mompha’s) company,” the witness added.

 

Solademi also told the court that the FBI discovered, during analysis, that Mompha’s iPhone, was also used to change payment delivery from cheque to wire transfer after a third attempt.

 

The witness also said that “the [Mompha’s] iPhone was used to make three attempts to transfer funds. The first two failed, but the third was successful.”

 

Justice Dada adjourned the matter till November 1, 2023.

 

Mompha was arrested by the EFCC on January 10, 2022, arraigned before the court and was granted bail but has since then, failed to appear in court on two scheduled dates for his trial.