Naira Marley’s alleged fraud trial adjourned to march by court

The trial of Nigerian singer Azeez Fashola, popularly known as Naira Marley, over alleged internet fraud has been adjourned by a Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, until March 6 and 7, 2024. The singer faces 11-count charges related to conspiracy and credit card fraud, brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The EFCC disclosed that during the trial, a credit card detail found on a device belonging to Naira Marley had been flagged by Visa, a card payment platform. The 10th prosecution witness informed the court that forensic analysis revealed malicious programs used to illegally obtain credit card information on the defendant’s device. These programs facilitated card non-present transactions and disguised the active location of an internet user.

The investigator disclosed that tools verifying the validity, active state, and accuracy of credit card credentials, as well as the region of the card issuer, were discovered on the defendant’s device. The analysis also revealed websites accessed through the defendant’s browser history, including sites where credit card information is illegally traded.

The phone and laptop recovered from Naira Marley were registered with his credentials, name, and email address. The investigator stated that the defendant exchanged the credit card details with others, and one of the cards was reported to have been fraudulently used for a transaction by Visa. Despite confirming fraudulent transactions, Visa did not link the credit card fraud to the defendant’s device during the investigation.