THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has asked the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos State to dismiss the no-case submission filed by Ismail Mustapha, alias Mompha, a suspected internet fraudster, who is standing trial over an alleged N32.9 billion fraud.
Wilson Uwujaren, the EFCC spokesperson stated in a statement on Wednesday that Mompha was re-arraigned on Wednesday, March 4, 2020, alongside his company, Ismalob Ventures, on an amended 22-count charge of fraud.
According to the statement, Gbenga Oyewole, counsel to Mompha filed a no-case submission at the resumed hearing after the prosecution had closed its case at the last sitting.
Oyewole, in urging the court to uphold his client’s no-case submission, said the prosecution had failed to link his client to any offence on all the counts of the charge.
In contrary to Oyewole’s argument, S. I. Sulaiman, the EFCC counsel told the court to dismiss Mompha’s no-case submission application.
Sulaiman said the prosecution had been able to link the defendant to the alleged offences based on the evidence adduced and exhibits tendered through the 10 prosecution witnesses, who had testified in the matter.
After hearing the plea of the parties in the case, Mohammed Liman, the sitting judge on the case, adjourned the matter to November 18, 2020, for ruling on the defendant’s no-case submission.
Mompha was rearrested by the EFCC on August 18, two weeks after a Federal High Court, Ikoyi had granted his bail application.
The suspect was rearrested at the EFCC office when he went to retrieve his belonging from the Commission as ordered by the court.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via [email protected], on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94