Dein Whyte, the 10th prosecution witness in the trial of Naira Marley, has testified that Visa, a card payment service, flagged one of the credit card details on the singer’s device, due to fraud.
Marley is facing trial on an 11-count charge bordering on conspiracy and credit card fraud.
The case was brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2019.
The singer, who pleaded not guilty, was earlier granted bail of N2 million with two sureties in like sum.
Although the trial resumed in October 2023, it was stalled in November due to the judge’s absence.
The hearing resumed at the federal high court in Ikoyi Lagos, on Thursday.
Whyte, through Bilikisu Buhari, the prosecution counsel, said he examined Marley’s device and found special programs that are designed to steal credit card information.
“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,” he said.
The witness stated that the tools for validating credit card details and identifying the issuer’s region were found on the defendant’s device.
Whyte added that the websites accessed on the defendant’s computer include sites where credit card information is illegally traded.
Under cross-examination by Olalekan Ojo, Marley’s lawyer stated that Visa did not directly link the fraud to Naira Marley’s device.
Ojo also argued to the witness that Visa is a payment platform and not a telecommunications company.
Nicholas Oweibo, the judge, adjourned the case to March 6 and 7, 2024, for a continuation of the trial.
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