Justice Mojisola Dada of an Ikeja Special Offences Court, Lagos State, has discharged the social media influencer, Ismaila Mustapha popularly called Mompha, of N6 billion money laundering charges filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In discharging Mompha Of the allegations, Justice Dada held that the charges amount to an abuse of judicial process and forum shopping.
The court also held that the count 8 of the charges was an afterthought and to create a difference between this suit and the one before the Federal high court.
Justice Dada further held that there was no intention by the first defendant (Mompha) not to disclose the items recovered from him in the asset declaration form he filed on October 20, 2019, as same was disclose in his extra judicial statement made two days later.
The judge consequently struck out the entire case and discharged the Mompha and his company.
The EFCC had arraigned Mompha and his company, Ismalob Global Investment Limited, before the court on on January 12, 2022, on an eight-count charge.
The charges include conspiracy to launder funds allegedly derived from unlawful activities, retention of proceeds of criminal conduct, failure to disclose assets, and possession of documents containing false pretences, among other alleged offences.
Mompha has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has been defending himself against the allegations.
During the pendency of the case, the EFCC through its prosecutior, Suleiman.I. Suleiman, called six prosecution witnesses and tendered several documentary exhibits in support of the case against the defendant.
But Mompha who stopped appearing in court after being granted bail, was however represented by the duo of Kolawole Salami and Ademola Adefolaju, did not call any witness, but vehemently opposed the charges for being abused of court processes.
