‘Money laundering’: Court remands Mompha’s Lebanese associate in prison

A federal high court in Lagos has remanded Hamza Koudeih, Lebanese associate of Ismaila Mustapha, also known as Mompha, in prison for “internet fraud and money laundering”.

He was remanded alongside one Kayode Phillip, also an associate of Mompha.

On Thursday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned the duo before Muslim Hassan, a judge, on a 25-count charge bordering on conspiracy and money laundering.

According to Wilson Uwujaren, EFCC’s spokesman, “the defendants, who are high-valued targets in Organized Cyber Syndicate Network (OCSN), were arrested for their alleged involvement in various cyber crimes and money laundering.”

One of the count reads: “That you, Kayode Phillip (a.k.a Voice of the King) and Hamza Koudeih (a.k.a. HK) sometime in May, 2019 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court conspired among yourselves to commit an offence to wit: conversion of the aggregate sum of $7, 069, 000 (seven million, sixty-nine thousand United States dollars), £1, 000, 000 (one million pounds) and €80,000 (eighty thousand euro), which sum you reasonably ought to have known form part of the proceeds of fraud and you thereby committed an offence contrary to sections 18 (a), 15 (2)(d) of the money laundering prohibition act, 2015 and punishable under section 15(3) of the same act.”

The defendants took a “not guilty” plea when the charges were read out to them in open court.

Abass Mohammed, EFCC counsel, prayed the court to fix a date for the trial to commence and asked that the defendants be remanded in correctional service custody as the detention facilities of the EFCC had been over-stretched.

Oladele Falana, counsel to the first defendant , informed the court that he had filed a bail application on behalf of his client and served same on the prosecution today.

He urged the court to fix an early date to hear the application.

Abdullahi Mohammed, counsel to the second defendant, who also filed a bail application on behalf of his client, urged the court to grant the prayers of the prosecution counsel.

He said: “My client has hinted that he prefers to go to the prison custody and that he will not be opposing the applications of the prosecution.”

Although the EFCC counsel told the court that he had not received a copy of the second defendant’s application for bail, he agreed to the defendant being remanded in prison custody.

Consequently, the judge fixed December 5, 2019, for hearing of the bail application and ordered that the defendants be remanded in the Nigerian correctional service custody.

The court had remanded Mompha in prison two days ago.