Doyin Okupe, Peter Obi’s Presidential Campaign DG sentenced to 2 years in prison over money laundering

Doyin Okupe, Peter Obi’s Presidential Campaign DG sentenced to 2 years in prison over money laundering

…Tears, pleas trail the Labour Party DG’s sentence

A former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Communications, Dr Doyin Okupe, has been sentenced to 52 years in prison for money laundering. Okupe was found guilty of 26 of the 59 charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and he was sentenced to two years for each of the conviction.

Okupe who is currently the Director-General of Peter Obi’s presidential campaign organization will, therefore, serves the sentencing currently, which reduces the 52 years to 2 years or pay a fine of N500,000 for each conviction, which is a total of N13,000,000.

Amid tears and pleas from family members and sympathizers, a federal high court in Abuja handed down the sentence on Okupe 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.

However, the sentence is to run concurrently.

Additionally, the judge said the convict is at liberty to pay a N500,000 fine on each of the counts — totaling N13 million.

The EFCC had arraigned Okupe,  in 2019 on a 59-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering and diversion of funds to the tune of N702 million.

He was arraigned alongside two companies – Value Trust Investment Ltd and Abrahams Telecoms Ltd.

Okupe was said to have received cash from the office of the national security adviser (NSA) while Sambo Dasuki, the NSA at the time, was in office.

Ojukwu found Okupe guilty of contravening sections 16(1)&(2) of the Money Laundering Act by accepting cash payments in excess of the threshold allowed under the Act, without going through a financial institution.

The judge said the NSA is not a financial institution and although the former president allegedly authorised the funds, he did not specify a cash payment in violation of the Money Laundering Act.

“I find the first defendant, Dr. Doyin Okupe, guilty on counts 34, 35, 36, to 59,” the court ruled.

The judge, however, found the defendants not guilty on counts one to 33 on the grounds that the prosecution failed to establish the charge of money laundering, criminal breach of trust, and corruption against the NSA.

Prior to the sentencing, the matter was stood down until 1:45pm to allow Okupe to call witnesses to testify about his character, as enshrined under section 310 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.

The sentencing was subsequently delivered after the process was concluded.