A compliance officer at Fidelity Bank Ezekoli Ozoemenam on Monday testified against Instagram celebrity Ismaila Mustapha aka Mompha charged with laundering N6 billion.
Mr Ozoemenam, the fourth prosecution witness, was led in evidence by the EFCC’s counsel Suleiman Suleiman.
The witness testified about the package of an account of the bank allegedly linked to Mompha.
The witness said the EFCC requested the account’s opening package and he responded to it.
“This is the Fidelity Bank opening package of the account that I sent to EFCC. It was printed from a perfectly working computer,” he said.
The prosecution, thereafter, tendered the document and prayed the court to admit it in evidence.
Defence counsel Kolawole Salami told the court that he reserved his objection to the tendering of the document in evidence.
During cross-examination of the witness, Salami asked whether Ozoemenam knew the branch of the bank in which the account was opened.
Salami also asked the witness if he was working at the bank’s headquarters at the time the account was opened in 2016.
The witness replied in the negative, adding that he was not at the headquarters.
“As at the time the account was opened, I was not at the headquarters. I was part of the internal control, and I moved from branch to branch, but I cannot remember which branch I was at when the account was opened.
“Anomalies in bank accounts are reported to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and not EFCC but I do not know if the account was ever reported to NFIU.
“I cannot speak to the nature of the transactions conducted through the account as I am not the relationship manager,” the witness said.
Counsel to EFCC, thereafter, appealed to the court for a witness summons to compel the appearance of EFCC’s next witness.
The counsel said that he needed the witness summons because the witness complained of feeling unsafe and receiving threats to his life.
Justice Mojisola Dada, however, said that it was the duty of prosecution to ensure appearance of its witnesses in court.
Dada said: “There is no special cause placed before the court to warrant a witness summons. I do not know what position he is occupying that will make him feel threatened. If EFCC cannot secure his protection, how does a witness summons guarantee his protection?”
The judge adjourned the case until July 1 for continuation of trial.
Mompha is currently at large. His trial in absentia started on June 3, 2023.
