EFCC Presents Second Witness In Trial Of Austrian Accused Of Hiding $800,000, €651,000 At Lagos Airport

 

EFCC Presents Second Witness In Trial Of Austrian Accused Of Hiding $800,000, €651,000 At Lagos Airport

The suspect, who was reportedly preparing to board an Emirates Airline flight to Dubai, was later handed over to the EFCC for further investigation.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has presented its second prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of an Austrian national, Kavlak Onal, who was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, for allegedly failing to declare over $800,000 and €651,000 while attempting to travel to Dubai.

The anti-graft agency on Tuesday also opposed an attempt by the defence counsel to delay the proceedings, insisting that the matter had already been granted accelerated hearing by the court.

SaharaReporters gathered that Onal was intercepted by operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service on December 16, 2025, during a routine screening at the Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism Currency Declaration Desk at the Lagos airport.

The suspect, who was reportedly preparing to board an Emirates Airline flight to Dubai, was later handed over to the EFCC for further investigation.

Following investigations, the Austrian was arraigned before Justice Yelim Bogoro of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, on January 9, 2026, on two counts bordering on alleged money laundering and failure to declare foreign currencies as required by Nigerian law.

According to the charges, the defendant allegedly failed to declare the sum of $800,575 and another €651,505 to the Nigeria Customs Service at the airport.

One of the charges reads: “That you, Mr. Kavlak Onal, on December 13, 2025, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, failed to make a declaration of the sum of $800,575 (Eight Hundred Thousand, Five Hundred and Seventy-Five United States Dollars) to the Nigeria Customs Service at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”

The second charge accused him of failing to declare €651,505 at the same airport, contrary to provisions of the Money Laundering Act.

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

At Tuesday’s proceedings, defence counsel, Omon Omofona, informed the court that the lead counsel handling the matter was attending to another case in a separate court and requested an adjournment.

But the prosecution counsel, Bilikisu Buhari, opposed the request, arguing that the matter was already designated for accelerated hearing.

She told the court that one of the prosecution witnesses had left his official assignment to testify and insisted that the defence counsel present in court should proceed with the matter.

“This is a criminal trial, and the image of the country is also at stake,” Buhari argued.

Although the defence maintained that the adjournment request was necessary to ensure fair hearing, Justice Bogoro ruled against delaying the trial.

The judge directed the counsel already present in court to take note of proceedings and adequately brief the lead counsel later, while fixing another date for cross-examination.

Following the ruling, the prosecution 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 EFCC counsel, Ibrahim told the court that he encountered the defendant in December 2025 after receiving information from a colleague regarding a passenger travelling to Dubai aboard Emirates Airline.

According to the witness, his colleague had informed him that the passenger was unwell and requested assistance to help him through the departure process.

“My colleague requested that I assist the defendant into the departure hall after he had collected his boarding pass,” Ibrahim told the court.

“He also informed me that the passenger was ill. So, I went to the Emirates Airline counter and met the defendant.

“I collected his passport and boarding pass and asked him to follow me into the departure hall,” the witness added.

The matter was subsequently adjourned for continuation of trial and cross-examination of the witness.