An investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the 10th prosecution witness in the trial of Nigerian singer, Azeez Fashola, popularly known as Naira Marley, Dein Whyte, told Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Thursday, how Visa, a card payment platform, flagged one of the credit card details found on the singer’s device for fraudulent transactions.
Naira Marley is facing an 11-count charge, including conspiracy and credit card fraud, brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
This was made known in a statement shared by the agency on their X handle on Friday, December 1.
The witness, Whyte, led by the prosecution counsel, Bilikisu Buhari, said: “As part of the findings from the investigation, forensic analysis revealed that malicious programmes used to illegally obtain credit card information were found on the device recovered from the defendant upon his arrest.”
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These programmes facilitated card non-present transactions. Also revealed were malicious tools used to disguise the active location of an internet user when his or her devices are connected to the internet”.
Whyte added: “Tools used to verify the validity, active state, and accuracy of credit card credentials, as well as the region of the issuer of that card, were discovered on the defendant’s device. The analysis further revealed the websites accessed on the defendant’s computer, including sites where credit card information is illegally traded.”
The witness informed the phone and laptop recovered from Naira Marley were registered with his credentials, name and email address. Investigations revealed that the singer exchanged credit card details with other individuals. Notably, one card reported fraudulent usage by Visa. According to him, the card details that were in possession of the defendant’s device neither belonged to him nor were issued to him by any financial institution.
Under cross-examination by the defendant’s counsel, Olalekan Ojo, SAN, Whyte confirmed that a Visa investigation confirmed the card had been flagged for fraudulent transactions. However, Visa did not directly link the credit card fraud to the defendant’s device, emphasizing that Visa is a payment platform, not a telecommunication company.
Justice Oweibo adjourned the case to March 6 and 7, 2024, for the continuation of hearing.
