Newsie Events:
An Ikeja Special Offences Court has accepted as evidence the iPhone of social media influencer Ismaila Mustapha, also known as Mompha, who is facing charges related to a N6 billion money laundering scheme.
Mustapha, who remains at large, is being tried alongside his company, Ismalob Global Investment Ltd., on eight charges related to money laundering activities.
During the continuation of the trial on Tuesday, Musa Idi, the sixth prosecution witness, testified that the iPhone had undergone forensic analysis by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Idi, an operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), explained that fraudulent documents were retrieved from the phone during the investigation.
The prosecutor, Suleiman Suleiman, confirmed that the iPhone was obtained during the course of the investigation and requested it be tendered as evidence.
However, defense counsel Kolawole Salami objected, arguing that the phone should not be admitted because it was not accompanied by a certificate of authenticity, claiming no proper foundation was laid for its admission.
In response, the prosecution dismissed the objection, asserting that the absence of a certificate did not invalidate the phone as evidence.
Justice Mojisola Dada overruled the defense’s objection and ruled in favor of the prosecution. The iPhone was admitted as evidence and marked as exhibit P7.
Earlier in the trial, on July 1, the court heard that the EFCC received intelligence from the FBI linking Mompha and his company to cybercrime activities in the United States.
At the previous hearing, two documents—Mompha’s statement and an asset declaration—were also admitted as exhibits P5 and P6.
The case has been adjourned to January 3, 2025, for the continuation of the trial.
(NAN)
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