Internet Fraud: Court Rules On Morpha’s Bail application Monday 9

The Federal High Court, Lagos presided over by Justice Sule Hassan will on Monday December 9 rule on the bail application filed by alleged two internet fraudsters, Kayode Philip a.k.a. Voice of the King and his Lebanese accomplice, Hamza Koudeih a.k.a. HK.

The accused persons, it would be recalled were arraigned on November 28, 2019 before Justice Hassan’s court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on alleged multimillion dollars internet fraud. They were arraigned on a 25 count-charge of conspiracy, phishing, spamming and unlawful conversion.
According to EFCC lawyer, A. O. Muhammed, the offence contravened sections 18(a), 15(2)(d), 18(c) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2015 and punishable under section 15(3) of the same Act. The offences also contravened sections 27(1)(b), 28(2), 32(2) and 33(9) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc)Act,2015 and punishable under section 32 (2) of the same Act.
The two defendants had pleaded not guilty to the charges. On November 2, the court had ordered that the the defendants be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCS) but at At the resumed hearing of their bail applications, their lawyers, Oluwadare Falana and Abdulhammed Muhammed, urged the court to grant the defendants bail in the most liberal terms.
The defendants’ lawyers cited sections 35 and 36 of 1999 Constitution of the Federal republic of Nigeria (as amended) and sections 158, 162,163 and 164 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, which they said allowed the court to grant bail to the defendants, as they are presumed to be innocent until contrary is proven.
Responding, the prosecutor, Mr. Muhammed, pleaded with the court to discountenance the defendants’ bail applications.
Justice Hassan, after listened to the parties submissions on the bail applications, adjourned till Monday 9 for ruling.The judge also ordered that the two alleged internet fraudsters be remanded in prison till the ruling on their bail applications.
In the charge, the two defendants were alleged to have sometimes in May, 2019, conspired among themselves to unlawfully convert the sum of $7, 069 million, £1 million and €80,000, which were proceed of unlawful act.
They were also accused of attempted to retain the sum of $700,000 in Multi Currency account No. 012-611-2-009379-4 domiciled in Bank of China (Hongkong) Limited in the name of Pung Shen Technology Trading Co. Limited, which sum you reasonably ought to have form part of the proceeds of fraud.
They were also alleged to have sometimes in the months of July and October, 2019, unlawfully retained the sum of £1 million and £3.5 million in a multiple currency account number 012-968-2-002658-3 domiciled in Bank of China (Hongkong) Limited in the name of HongKong Zhongli Industrial Co. Limited.
The Nigerian alleged fraudster, Kayode Philip who was charged in all the 25 counts charge, was alleged to have unlawfully retained the sum of total sum of N30. 250 million in United Bank of Africa Plc (UBA) account numbers 102030764 and 107030764, belonging to Influx Computer and Hardware Limited and DAKOTA Entertainment Limited.