An Ikeja Special Offences Court has admitted more documents in the ongoing trial of a social media celebrity, Ismaila Mustapha a.k.a. Mompha in absentia.
Ismaila Mustapha whose trial in absentia commenced on June 3, is facing an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy and money laundering to the tune of over a billion before Justice Mojisola Dada.
During resumed proceedings today, Justice Dada admitted two documents which were tendered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecuting counsel, Suleiman Suleiman, which included a report by the USA-based Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and an investigative report on Mompha’s iPhone which the agency claimed was used for fraudulent practices.
The defence counsel led by Kolawole Salami objected to the admissibility of the two documents as evidence on the grounds that since they are public documents, they must first be certified by the United States Consulate.
Justice Dada, however, overruled the defence counsel’s objection, adjourning the matter till November 1, 2023.
Mompha was arrested on January 10, 2022, by EFCC, arraigned before the court, and was granted bail, and has failed to appear in court on two scheduled dates for his trial.
