The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday opposed an application by the defence seeking adjournment in the ongoing trial of an Austrian national, Kavlak Onal, who is facing charges over the alleged non-declaration of $800,575 and €651,505 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
Onal was arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service at the airport’s Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Currency Declaration Desk on December 16, 2025, while preparing to board an Emirates Airline flight to Dubai. He was subsequently handed over to the EFCC for further investigation.
Following investigations, the defendant was arraigned on January 9, 2026, before Justice Yelim Bogoro of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, on a two-count charge bordering on money laundering.
According to the charges, the defendant allegedly failed to declare the sums of $800,575 and €651,505 to the Nigeria Customs Service, contrary to provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges.
At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, defence counsel Omon Omofona informed the court that the lead counsel was attending to another matter in a different court and sought an adjournment.
Opposing the application, prosecution counsel Bilikisu Buhari told the court that accelerated hearing had earlier been granted in the matter. She argued that the prosecution witness had left his official assignment to attend court and urged the defence team already present to proceed with the case.
“This is a criminal trial, and the image of the country is also at stake,” Buhari submitted.
Although the defence urged the court to grant the adjournment in the interest of fair hearing, Justice Bogoro ruled that proceedings should continue, directing counsel present in court to brief the lead counsel accordingly. The court also indicated that a separate date would be fixed for cross-examination.
The prosecution thereafter called its second witness, Sani Ibrahim, an operative of the Nigerian Immigration Service attached to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
While being led in evidence by the prosecution, Ibrahim told the court that he encountered the defendant in December 2025 after a colleague informed him about a passenger travelling to Dubai aboard Emirates Airline who reportedly required assistance due to ill health.
According to the witness, he escorted the defendant through the departure process after collecting his passport and boarding pass.
He testified that after clearing the defendant at the Aviation Security (AVSEC) screening point, security personnel detected suspicious items in the luggage during scanning.
“When I asked him what was inside the bag, he said they were medicines and other personal belongings. He did not mention that he had money inside the bag,” the witness told the court.
Ibrahim further stated that he later escorted the defendant to Customs officials for currency declaration, where the defendant allegedly denied carrying any cash requiring declaration.
According to him, Customs officers subsequently searched the luggage and discovered an envelope containing United States dollars, prompting a more detailed inspection.
“In the process, they discovered a huge amount of money, the likes of which I had never seen in my life,” the witness said.
He added that the defendant was immediately taken to the Customs office, where he was requested to make a written statement after the discovery.
Justice Bogoro thereafter adjourned the matter until July 13, 2026, for the cross-examination of the second prosecution witness.
