Crime
Alleged Money Laundering: Witness Reveals N35bn Was In Mompha’s Accounts
The sixth prosecution witness, PW6, Idi Musa, in the trial of Ismaila Mustapha, (a.k.a Mompha) an investigator with the EFCC, on Monday, July 1, 2024, told Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos how the sum of N35bn was found in two bank accounts linked to the defendant.
The Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had, on January 12, 2022, arraigned Mompha alongside his company, Ismalob Global Investment Limited, on an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy to launder funds obtained through unlawful activity, retention of proceeds of criminal conduct, laundering of funds obtained through unlawful activity, failure to disclose assets and property, possession of documents containing false pretences and use of property derived from unlawful act.
One of the counts reads, “Ismaila Mustapha, Ahmadu Mohammed (at large) and Ismalob Global Investment Limited, sometime in 2016, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired amongst yourselves to conduct financial transactions to the tune of N5,998,884,653.18 ( Five Billion Nine Hundred and Ninety-eight Million, Eight Hundred and Eighty-four Thousand, Six Hundred and Fifty-three Naira Eighteen Kobo), with the intent of promoting the carrying on of specified unlawful activities to wit: obtaining by false pretence.”
He pleaded “not guilty” to the charges when they were read to him.
On September 22, 2022, Justice Dada had ordered that the trial of Mompha would continue in absentia after he jumped bail.
At Monday’s proceedings, Musa, while being led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, S. I. Suleiman, narrated how he knew the first and second defendants in the course of investigations into the alleged criminal activities.
He told the court how the Commission had received intelligence from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), informing it that the first and second defendants were into cybercrime in the United States of America, USA.
He said, “Sometime in 2019, we received intelligence from the FBI, USA. The letter was addressed to the Commission, informing us that the first and second defendants were involved in cybercrime, otherwise known as Yahoo Yahoo.”
According to him, in the course of the investigation, some letters were written to two major banks requesting the account statements of the second defendant linked to the first defendant.
In his further testimony, he told the court that “The account statements were received and analysed.
“During the analysis, we discovered a heavy flow of N30bn through the account of the first defendant (Mompha) in one of the banks and about N5bn in another bank account.
“Letters were written to the FBI, and the Special Fraud Unit of the Commission, regarding the defendant’s claim that he was into Bureau De change business, in view of the volume of these transactions.
“A letter was also written to the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN and other relevant agencies”.
He also told the court that the investigation revealed that the first defendant did not reside in Nigeria and that efforts to reach him proved abortive.
The PW 6 said, “A letter was written to the Nigeria Immigration Services, NIS, on October 16, 2019, to arrest the defendant anytime he was seen in the country.
“On October 18, 2019, the first defendant got information that the Commission was looking for him, while he was in Nigeria. So, he quickly got to the airport and boarded a flight in order to jet out of the country to evade arrest.
“The team got the information through the NIS officers at the airport. By then, Mompha had already boarded the flight. So, they had to call him to come down and he was immediately arrested. He was subsequently handed over to the EFCC by the immigration officers”.
When asked about the findings regarding the defendant’s bank account, Musa said over N30bn was discovered, adding that “ he told us that he was into Bureau De Change business. But investigation showed that he was not.
“We have already concluded investigations in that regard. The offences border on money laundering, operating BDC without a licence before a Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos.”
He also told the court that a report from the FBI’s forensic analysis revealed that Mompha’s iPhone was used to send account details to a United Arab Emirates telephone number, which he used to search for Swift Codes of a bank.
“Upon his arrest, all the properties recovered from him were registered with the Exhibits Section in the EFCC office.
“Most of the properties were released to him on bond, except his iPhone 8 which is still with the Commission.
“The items are proceeds of crime because when he was given the Assets Declaration Form, he did not include those items,” he added.
The prosecution then tendered both the first defendant’s statement as well as the Asset Declaration Form.
They were admitted in evidence as exhibits P5 and P6 by the court.
Consequently, Justice Dada adjourned the case till Tuesday, October 8, 2024, for the continuation of trial.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa over allegations of diverting N1.3 trillion in 13% derivation funds intended for Delta State during his tenure.
Okowa, who served as governor from 2015 to 2023, was detained after he voluntarily appeared at the EFCC’s Port Harcourt Directorate on Monday in response to an official summons.
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According to an EFCC source, Okowa is accused of failing to account for the N1.3 trillion derived from the federation account, as well as an additional N40 billion he allegedly invested in shares of UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).
The investigation suggests that Okowa acquired an 8% stake in a major Nigerian bank to support the offshore LNG venture, with funds purportedly misallocated from state resources.
Beyond the LNG shares, investigators are probing whether Okowa redirected state funds to acquire high-value properties in Abuja and Asaba.
Okowa is currently held at an EFCC facility in Port Harcourt as the inquiry continues.
The high-profile arrest comes as Okowa, who was the vice-presidential running mate to Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general election, faces scrutiny over his financial conduct in office.
Amid repeated absences from court, the Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an arrest warrant for Hathiramani Ranesh, Managing Director of Dana Air, who faces charges of fraud and conspiracy tied to alleged misappropriations totaling N1.3 billion.
The ruling, handed down Monday by Justice Obiora Egwuatu, calls for Ranesh’s immediate arrest following his failure to respond to multiple court summonses.
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Justice Egwuatu cited Section 184 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), empowering the court to issue an arrest warrant against defendants who evade appearance.
“The defendant is legally obligated to appear, and the court is authorized to issue a warrant for arrest if he does not,” Justice Egwuatu said, setting January 13, 2025, as the next court date, adding that no objections will be considered unless Ranesh is present.
Ranesh and two Dana Group subsidiaries—Dana Group PLC and Dana Steel Ltd—face serious allegations from the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
Prosecutors claim that between 2014 and 2018, Ranesh and his companies engaged in fraudulent activities, including the unauthorized sale of industrial generators valued at N450 million, which had been pledged as collateral in a debenture agreement.
Additional charges allege the misappropriation of N864 million from bond funds meant for operations at the Dana Steel Rolling Factory in Katsina, and a N60.3 million transfer to an external account without authorization.
The charges, filed by Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Moshood Adeyemi, cite violations under the Criminal Code Act.
In court, government lawyer Mojisola Okeya-Esho argued for the arrest warrant, stating that Ranesh had disregarded court orders to appear for arraignment.
Defense counsel B. Ademola-Bello challenged the prosecution, contending that jurisdictional issues must be addressed before proceeding with the case.
Justice Egwuatu dismissed these objections, underscoring that Ranesh’s presence in court is required before other arguments can be entertained.
The matter is now adjourned until January 13, 2025, with the warrant remaining active until the defendant is brought to court.
In a shocking act of violence, armed assailants targeted the Police Rapid Response Squad facility in Owerrinta early Monday morning, resulting in the tragic death of a female detainee.
The attack occurred shortly after midnight along the Umuahia-Aba Federal Expressway.
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State Commissioner of Police Danladi Isa confirmed the incident, revealing that the gunmen arrived in three Hilux vehicles and opened fire on the police facility.
“Our personnel successfully repelled the attack,” Isa stated.
However, the attackers resorted to using dynamite, causing significant damage to the building and exposing the detainees inside.
During the chaos, the gunmen attempted to free detainees, leading to the fatal shooting of the female suspect.
Unconfirmed reports suggest she was in custody related to a child trafficking case.
In the aftermath of the attack, police swiftly initiated a manhunt for the perpetrators, employing advanced technical methods to track their movements.
Commissioner Isa announced the arrest of one suspect, who is currently undergoing interrogation to uncover the identities of additional accomplices.
“We are making significant progress in our investigation,” he affirmed.
Authorities are calling on the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities as the investigation continues.
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