In the ongoing trial of Nigerian singer Azeez Fashola, widely known as Naira Marley, the 10th prosecution witness, Dein Whyte, an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), revealed startling details about fraudulent transactions detected by Visa, a card payment platform, linked to one of the credit card details discovered on the singer’s device.
The investigator emphasized that both the phone and laptop recovered from Naira Marley were registered with his credentials, name, and email address. The investigation indicated that the singer exchanged credit card details with other individuals, with one card reporting fraudulent usage flagged by Visa. However, Whyte clarified that the card details on the defendant’s device did not belong to him and were not issued by any financial institution.
During the testimony before Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Thursday, Whyte, led by the prosecution counsel Bilikisu Buhari, disclosed that forensic analysis during the investigation unveiled malicious programs on the device used to illicitly obtain credit card information. These programs facilitated card non-present transactions.
Whyte further detailed the presence of tools on the device that concealed the user’s active location when connected to the internet. He stated, “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.”
Under cross-examination by the defendant’s counsel, Olalekan Ojo, SAN, Whyte confirmed that a Visa investigation had indeed flagged the card for fraudulent transactions. However, he clarified that 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.
