Court jails Okupe 2 years for 26 counts of money laundering
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, in a judgment, found Okupe guilty in 26 out of the 59 counts preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the money laundering offence.
Doyin okupe – director general of the presidential campaign council (pcc) of the labour party (lp)
A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, convicted and sentenced Mr Doyin Okupe, former Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Doyin Okupe, to two years imprisonment.
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, in a judgment, found Okupe guilty in 26 out of the 59 counts preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the money laundering offence.
Justice Ojukwu ordered that the 26 counts, which attracted two-year jail-term each, would run concurrently.
The judge, however, gave an option of N500, 000 in each of the counts, amounting to N13 million, which must be paid before 4:30pm,(the close of work) today.
BRANDPOWER had earlier reported that the wife and son of Okupe had pleaded for leniency after he was convicted.
Besides, former Governor of old Anambra, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, and former National Orientation Agency (NOA), Dr Idi Farouk, had also urged the court to temper justice with mercy in Okupe’s sentencing.
BRANDPOWER reports that the court, presided over by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, had convicted Okupe for breaching the Money Laundering Act.
Justice Ojukwu, in a judgment, held that Okupe was found guilty of contravening Sections 16(1)&(2) of the Money Laundering Act, for accepting cash payments without going through a financial institution, in excess of the threshold allowed under the Act.
Okupe is the Director General of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the Labour Party (LP).
Okupe was said to have received N240 million in cash from the office of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (retired).
The judge had, earlier, stood down proceedings tfor Okupe to exercise his right under Section 310 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) to call witnesses to testify about his character, before the court could proceed to pronounce sentence on the convict.
Doyin Okupe, who served as Mr. Jonathan’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, however, had earlier in 2016 denied that the funds he received were part of the $2.1 billion arms fund allegedly misappropriated by Mr. Dasuki. Most of the funds are believed to have been used as slush funds for the 2015 elections.
It is unclear how this judgement will affect Doyin Okupe’s current position as Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Council of the Labour Party. Though the party is yet to officially react, unconfirmed reports have it that the convict will appeal the judgement.
