Nigerian Socialite and Internet Celebrity, Ismaila Mustapha, also known as Mompha, is currently facing an eight-count conspiracy and money laundering charge to over 6 billion naira, before Justice Mojisola Dada.
He was arraigned alongside his company, Ismalob Global Investment Limited.
More documents have been exposed against Mompha in his absence. The documents were presented before an Ikeja Special Offences Court. Mompha’s trial in absentia began in June, before the court. During resumed proceedings on Monday, September 18, Justice Dada admitted more documents in evidence against Mompha.
The two documents which were presented by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecuting counsel, Suleiman Suleiman, included a report by the USA-based Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and an investigative report on 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 because since they are public documents, they must first be certified by the United States Consulate.
Salami argued that the documents are not a certified true copy, and should not be admitted in court. The court maintained the prosecution’s submission, which maintained that the FBI documents were original.
Earlier, during the 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 would not be used in a legal proceeding except after a separate communication has been made.
The prosecution witness, Solademi, in his testimony responded that the communication from the FBI allowed for the use of the documents 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.”
Justice Dada adjourned the case till November 1, 2023.
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