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.
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Pule' carmel
Nov 1st 2009, 18:42
She was hiding that money in her underwear surely, for security reasons!!!! About 30 years ago many local ladies ( and Men) were hiding diamonds and drugs in deeper layers than their underwear, also for security reasons , and they were also not so happy when the local customs insisted on a full body search.
I also heard of heavy transport vehicles using 12 cylinders in which one of the pistons and connecting rod was removed to replace it with a sealed cannister held in the cylinder, but a custom officer who knew the rythmn of a twelve cylinder engine detected the different note where the drug dogs failed to smell the drug due to the diesel odour.
Another captain of a ship just out of dry docks detected that his maximum speed across the ocean was two knots below what it should have been. On arrival and After asking divers to inspect the hull a big steel sealed box was found welded to the hull. It carried undeclared cargo which others were going to grind free when the ship reached harbour. Some custom officers and sea and airline captains are pretty clever in knowing more than their jobs .
C.Sant
Nov 1st 2009, 18:25
Living in Pisa and going to Malta to buy designer's clothes - what designer's clothes ?...give us a break will u? head for NY next time and put your cash in better use; mind u, Agent Provocateur in London has a great selection of risky underwear.....
colin stanley
Oct 31st 2009, 01:29
First of all , are you sure that the bag is a GENUINE designer bag, or is it one of the fakes, that you find all over europe being sold ,by these africans. another thing,when the case is over, are they going to deport this woman, or is she going to remain here too.
steve elliott,uk
Oct 30th 2009, 20:29
These "people" obviously think Malta is a "soft touch" Lets hope the money is confiscated and given to a charity and not Charity
A. E. Abela
Oct 30th 2009, 20:24
I would prefer Pisa, than Malta to buy designer clothes, but than again where would I get so much money from?
Jon Agius
Oct 30th 2009, 20:15
she probably found out that in other countries it would be cheaper :)
jimmy Vella
Oct 30th 2009, 19:54
She can certainly tell a good story . most Maltese go abroad to buy clothes and this women come to Malta in search of expensive clothes and left having bought no designer clothes . How BIZARRE .