Mompha faces setback as court accepts EFCC evidence from FBI analysis

• Admits iPhone as exhibit in alleged money laundering trial
Justice Mojisola Dada of the Lagos Special Offences Court, Ikeja, has admitted an iPhone belonging to social media celebrity Ismaila Mustapha, popularly known as Mompha, as evidence in his ongoing trial over alleged money laundering.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Mompha alongside his company, Ismalob Global Investment Limited, on an eight-count charge.
The charges include conspiracy to launder funds obtained through unlawful activity, retention of proceeds of criminal conduct, failure to disclose assets, possession of documents containing false pretences, and the use of property derived from unlawful acts.

At the court sitting yesterday, EFCC counsel Suleiman Suleiman led the sixth prosecution witness, Musa Idi, an EFCC operative, in evidence. Idi presented Mompha’s iPhone, claiming it was used for fraudulent practices. The prosecution tendered the phone as Exhibit P7.

However, Mompha’s lawyers, Mr Kolawole Salami and Mr Ademola Adefolaju, objected to the admission of the iPhone, arguing that proper foundational evidence had not been laid. They urged the court to reject the exhibit.

The prosecution countered the objection, stating that the iPhone was recovered during investigations and sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for forensic analysis. A representative of the FBI, who had previously testified in court, confirmed that documents retrieved from the iPhone were already tendered in evidence.

Justice Dada overruled the defence’s objection, upheld the prosecution’s arguments, and admitted the iPhone as Exhibit P7.

The court adjourned the trial to February 3, 2025, for continuation.