The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has re-arraigned social media celebrity, Ismaila Mustapha, better known as Mompha, in a Federal High Court in Lagos, for alleged N32.9billion fraud.
Mompha maintained his not-guilty plea on Wednesday when the amended 22 count charges were read to him.
He was first arraigned by the EFCC on 14 counts bordering on fraud, money laundering and running a foreign exchange business without the authorisation of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Mompha was arraigned alongside his firm, Ismalob Global Investment Ltd.
After Mompha’s plea, defence counsel, Gboyega Oyewole, urged the court to grant a short adjournment to enable him study the new charge.
He told the court that he had only seen the new charge minutes before the court commenced sitting.
Justice Mohammed Liman ordered the defendant to continue in his bail of N100 million.
The case was then adjourned until March 18 for continuation of trial.
The EFCC has so far called witnesses from commercial banks, CBN as well as the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML),
In the charge, EFCC accused the defendant of procuring Ismalob Global Investment Ltd and retaining in its account, an aggregate sum of N32.9billion between 2015 and 2018.
The prosecution alleged that Mompha laundered the sum through Ismalob Global Investment Ltd.
Both defendants were alleged to have negotiated foreign exchange transactions in various sums like N9.4million, N20 million, N10.4 million, N2.4million, N100million, N61million, N40.7million, N42million among others.
Mompha was alleged to have aided the Ismalob to retain an aggregate sum of N 14billion in its account, which was procured from Pitacalize Ltd.
The prosecution said the alleged offences contravened the provisions of Sections 15(2) and 18(3) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act.2011 as amended.
