Alleged Money Laundering: Court Adjourns Mompha’s Trial Till March 13

Alleged Money Laundering: Court Adjourns Mompha’s Trial Till March 13

A Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, has adjourned the trial of popular social media personality, Ismaila Mustapha, also known as Mompha, to March 13, 2025. Justice Mojisola Dada gave the ruling during the court session on Monday, February 3, 2025.

Mompha is standing trial alongside his company, Ismalob Global Investment Limited, on an eight-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The charges include conspiracy to launder funds obtained through unlawful activity, retention of proceeds of crime, failure to disclose assets, possession of fraudulent documents, and use of property derived from an unlawful act.

One of the charges states that Mompha, alongside a co-defendant, Ahmadu Mohammed (who remains at large), allegedly conspired to conduct financial transactions amounting to ₦5,998,884,653.18 in 2016, with the intent to promote fraudulent activities.

Court Proceedings

At the resumed hearing, EFCC counsel S.I. Suleiman presented its sixth prosecution witness (PW6), Idi Musa, an EFCC operative. The prosecution attempted to tender documents obtained from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as evidence.

However, Mompha’s lawyer, Kolawole Salami, objected to the admissibility of the documents, arguing that they were public records from the U.S. Department of Justice but were not properly certified. He further stated that the EFCC could not authenticate the documents since it was not the originating authority.

Despite the objection, Justice Dada admitted the documents as Exhibits P8, P9, and P10.

During cross-examination, PW6 admitted that while Mompha claimed ownership of luxury wristwatches seized during his arrest, he failed to declare them in the Asset Declaration Form submitted to the EFCC. He also confirmed that a Federal High Court in Lagos had earlier ordered the EFCC to return the wristwatches to Mompha. These court orders were admitted as Exhibits P11 and P12.

More Revelations in Court

Further cross-examination revealed that Mompha was first arrested in 2019 and was initially charged at the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, for separate money laundering-related offenses, a case that remains pending.

The EFCC witness also admitted that a document cited in Count 7 of the charges was obtained without Mompha’s presence. Additionally, he revealed that Mompha refused to provide a statement regarding the document when confronted during investigations.

When questioned about a potential complaint from Continental Dairy Facility Southwest LLC, the witness admitted that the company never filed a petition against Mompha. Instead, the EFCC had initiated an inquiry on its own, but no statement from the company was presented in court.

Next Court Hearing

Following the cross-examination, Justice Dada adjourned the trial to March 13, 2025, for further cross-examination and continuation of proceedings.

Background

Mompha, known for his flamboyant lifestyle, was first arraigned by the EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Command on January 12, 2022. He pleaded not guilty to all charges. His trial continues as the court determines the merits of the allegations.

Stay tuned for more updates on the case.