A Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting has discharged social media celebrity, Ismaila Mustapha, popularly known as Mompha, and his company, Ismalob Global Investment Limited, from an alleged ₦6 billion money laundering case.
The court, presided over by Justice Mojisola Dada, struck out the eight-count charge filed against Mompha by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), describing the prosecution as an abuse of court process and an attempt at forum shopping, and an improper use of judicial process.
Justice Dada, at the court on Tuesday, disclosed that the case originated on January 12, 2022, when the EFCC arraigned Mompha and his company before the Lagos State Special Offences Court over allegations bordering on money laundering, conspiracy and unlawful financial transactions.
The social media personality stood trial in absentia after he was accused of conspiring with one Ahmadu Mohammed, who is reportedly at large, and his company to launder about ₦6 billion allegedly obtained through unlawful activities in 2016.
The EFCC alleged that the defendants engaged in financial transactions intended to promote unlawful activities, including obtaining money by false pretences.
The eight-count charge also bordered on conspiracy to launder proceeds of crime, retention and laundering of proceeds of unlawful activities, failure to disclose assets, possession of documents containing false pretences and use of property derived from unlawful acts.
Mompha, however, pleaded not guilty to all the allegations when he was arraigned.
During the trial, the prosecution, led by Suleiman Suleiman, called six witnesses and tendered several documentary exhibits to establish its allegations against the defendants.
The defence, however, did not call any witness in response to the prosecution’s evidence.
Mompha was reportedly granted bail on the condition that he deposited his international passport with the court. However, he subsequently stopped appearing for proceedings, prompting the continuation of the trial in his absence.
On April 28, Justice Dada had closed the defence’s case after Mompha’s counsel, Kolawole Salami, of the law firm of Gboyega Oyewole, failed to produce witnesses to testify on behalf of the defendants.