A federal high court in Abuja has sentenced Doyin Okupe, the director-general of the Peter Obi presidential campaign council, to two years in Prison for breaching the money laundering act.
In a judgment delivered on Monday, Okupe was found guilty of 26 out of a 59-count charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Ijeoma Ojukwu, the presiding judge, sentenced Okupe to two years in prison on each of the counts.
UPDATE;
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of a Federal High Court in Abuja, hammered Okupe with the prison Sentence with an option of N500, 000 fine on each of the 26 count charges for which he was found guilty.
She held that Okupe, who is the first defendant in the suit filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission violated the Money Laundering Act adding that he had up to 4.30 pm to pay the fine option totalling N13m on all the charges he was found guilty of or be sent to the Kuje Correctional Centre.
Justice Ojukwu, in sentencing Okupe, considered the pleadings for leniency from the convict’s wife, Omolola, and his son, Adesunkanmi.
“There is no evidence that the money passed through a financial institution” and that Okupe was not a financial institution, and that, even if the president was said to have authorised the funds, he did not say that the money must be paid in cash.
However, the Former Presidential aide was able to pay the fine before the deadline. He paid and they returned with the bank papers around 4.25pm. The court processed it, and everybody signed, including the EFCC lawyer.
Pay N13million or go to jail, Nigerian government knows how to witch hunt anyone who is not in their support,.
Nija