Court to rule on Mompha’s no-case submission November 18

By Akin Kuponiyi

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria has adjourned till 18th November, 2020 to rule on no case submission filed by a suspected Internet fraudsters, Ismail Mustapha, known as Mompha, standing trial before the court over alleged N32.9 billion fraud.

However, the EFCC has told the Court in its submission to dismiss the said no-case submission.

Mompha was re-arraigned on March 4, 2020 alongside his company, Ismalob Ventures, on an amended 22-count charge of Internet fraud.

Mompha, through his Counsel, Gbenga Oyewole, SAN, filed a no-case submission, after the prosecution had closed its case at the last sitting.

Oyewole, in urging the court to uphold his client’s no-case submission, argued that the prosecution had failed to link his client to any offence on all the counts of the charge.

However, the EFCC’s prosecution counsel, S. I. Sulaiman, in his response, urged the court to dismiss Mompha’s no-case submission application, which was adopted before the court.

In urging the court to dismiss Mompha’s 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 case.

He, therefore, urged the court to dismiss the application and ordered the defendant to open his defence.

After listening to both parties, the presiding Judge, Justice Mohammed Liman adjourned the matter to November 18, 2020 for ruling on the defendant’s no-case submission.