EFCC Presents Final Witness Against Mompha July 10

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Wednesday directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to, on July 10, present its remaining witnesses in the trial of social media celebrity, Ismaila Mustapha aka Mompha.

Justice Mohammed Liman gave the directive following the EFCC’s prayer for an adjournment.

Mompha’s counsel, Mr. Gboyega Oyewole (SAN), had informed the court that an adjournment was “unwarranted”, as the agency had previously promised to field all its witnesses.

Mustapha, was accused of cyber fraud and laundering of N33 Billion.

He and his firm, Ismalob Global Investment Ltd, were on March 4, 2020 re-arraigned before Justice Liman on 22 counts.

They were first arraigned on a 14-count count charge on November 25, 2020 following his arrest on October 19, 2020 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

According to the anti-graft agency, the defendant is based in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The Commission alleged that Mompha is a major figure in an organised transnational cyber fraud network, adding that he used Ismalob Investment to launder the funds, part of which he used in acquiring properties in Dubai.

Mompha pleaded not guilty to all the counts.

At the resumption of proceedings yesterday, an accountant, Abiodun Audu, testified for the prosecution.

Led by EFCC counsel Mr S. I. Suleiman, Mr Audu said he never met Mompha in the course of filing Ismalob Global Investment Ltd’s tax return.

He told the judge that it was one Alhaji Hamodu, a director in Mompha’s firm, that contacted him to file the tax returns for the company.

Hamodu, he said, required him to input July 2016 to June 2017, in the tax return to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

The witness testified that it was at the EFCC that the document relating to the tax return was shown to him, when he was invited there in 2020.

During cross examination by Mompha’s counsel, Mr. Gboyega Oyewole (SAN), said Hamodu, a Bureau De Change operator, supplied the information on the company’s self assessment form.

But during re-examination by the EFCC, Audu said that both Hamodu and Mompha’s signatures were on the company’s tax self-assessment form.