The trial of Nigerian singer Azeez Fashola, popularly known as Naira Marley, for alleged internet fraud has been adjourned to March 6 and 7, 2024.
Naira Marley is facing an 11-count charge of conspiracy and credit card fraud brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has provided evidence in court that one of the credit card details found on a device belonging to Naira Marley had been flagged by Visa, a card payment platform.
A statement issued by the EFCC on Friday revealed that the 10th prosecution witness (PW10), Dei Whyte, told the court that forensic analysis of the device found malicious programs that are used to illegally obtain credit card information.
Whyte also testified that the device contained tools used to disguise the active location of an internet user and to verify the validity of credit card credentials.
According to the EFCC, Whyte further stated that the defendant exchanged the credit card details with other persons and that one of the cards was reported to have been fraudulently used for a transaction by Visa.
Under cross-examination by the defendant’s counsel, Olalekan Ojo, SAN, Whyte informed the court that a letter of investigation was written to Visa and that it confirmed that the card had been flagged for fraudulent transactions.
However, Whyte said that Visa did not link the credit card fraud to the defendant’s device “because the investigation was on the card and not on the device being used for the fraud.”
He also stressed that Visa is a payment platform and not a telecommunication company.
The trial has been adjourned to March 6 and 7, 2024, for the continuation of the prosecution’s case.
Naira Marley has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and is currently on bail.
