Nigerian says she came to Malta to buy designer clothes

A Nigerian who failed to declare more than €10,000 in cash as she was leaving Malta on October 2 said that she had come to Malta to buy designer clothes but was unable to say where she bought the clothes from, a court heard this morning.

In the compilation of evidence against 42-year-old Nigerian Atinuke Nue Ugoji, who lives in Pisa, customs officer Hilary Fenech recalled that the woman had been stopped at the airport carrying €9,815 in her handbag.

After a female officer searched her body, another €20,000 were found in her underwear.

The Nigerian stands charged with failing to declare more than €10,000 in cash and money laundering.

She claimed that the money in her underwear, which was wrapped up in serviettes and taped in two batches of €10,000 each, belonged to friends. The whole sum was in €50 notes.

Police Inspector Yvonne Farrugia had previously testified that this woman had been carrying the name and address of a girl called Charity in whose flat designer clothes had been found.

When the Nigerian was caught, she had a Just Cavalli handbag, very similar to the ones found in Charity’s flat.

A powdery substance was also found at Charity’s apartment but this was not a drug and there was nothing to link the accused to this substance.

Defence lawyer Joe Giglio asked if there were any links between the accused and Charity.

The inspector said that there were since the owner of the flat where Charity was living had seen the accused at the flat a number of times and there had also been cellular contact between the two.

The Nigerian even told the police that she had come to buy designer clothes but was unable to answer when asked where she bought them from.

Dr Giglio asked what evidence was there to show that the money found on the accused came from an underlying criminal activity.

Inspector Farrugia said that at this stage there was none but the prosecution was basing its investigations on money laundering.