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Court adjourns trial of Ismaila Mustapha (Mompha) to March 2025

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Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, has adjourned the trial of Ismaila Mustapha, known as Mompha, until March 13, 2025. This decision allows both parties to prepare for further hearings regarding the alleged money laundering charges.

On January 12, 2022, the Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Mompha and his company, Ismalob Global Investment Limited. They face an eight-count charge involving conspiracy to launder funds obtained through unlawful activities and other serious offenses.

One specific count states that “Ismaila Mustapha, Ahmadu Mohammed (at large), and Ismalob Global Investment Limited conspired to conduct financial transactions totaling N5,998,884,653.18.”

This amount aims to promote specified unlawful activities, particularly obtaining money by false pretenses.

When the charges were read, Mompha pleaded “not guilty,” asserting his innocence in the matter.

During the resumed hearing on February 3, 2025, prosecution counsel S.I. Suleiman presented the sixth prosecution witness, Idi Musa, an operative of the EFCC.

The prosecution sought to tender documents received from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through witness PW6.

However, the defendant’s counsel, Kolawole Salami, objected to these documents’ admissibility, claiming they were not certified by the EFCC.

Salami argued, “The EFCC cannot certify documents from the US Department of Justice.” Despite the objection, the judge admitted the documents as exhibits P8, P9, and P10, allowing them to be part of the court record.

In his testimony, PW6 stated that although the first defendant claimed ownership of the wristwatches recovered, he did not include them in the Asset Declaration Form filled upon arrest. This discrepancy raised questions about the defendant’s honesty during the investigation.

During cross-examination, PW6 admitted that authorities arrested the defendant in 2019 on charges of money laundering.

Furthermore, he acknowledged that the case was previously heard in the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos.

This earlier case remains pending, adding complexity to the current proceedings.

Additionally, PW6 confirmed that two separate Federal High Court orders mandated the release of the wristwatches to the defendant.

The court accepted these orders as exhibits P11 and P12, further documenting the ongoing case.

During cross-examination, PW6 revealed that investigators obtained the document referenced in count 7 without the defendant’s presence.

He also noted that the defendant refused to provide a statement when investigators confronted him with this document.

Additionally, the witness confirmed that Continental Diary Facility Southwest LLC filed no petition regarding the first defendant.

He clarified, “The Commission inquired about the company, and they provided a statement.”

When asked if the company’s statement was before the court, the witness could not provide it.

The court adjourned the matter until March 13, 2025, allowing for further cross-examination and continuation of the trial.

s a result, both parties will prepare for the next stage in the legal proceedings.