Doyin Okupe, Director-General of the Peter Obi Presidential Campaign, regained his freedom after paying a fine of N13 million following his conviction for breaching the money laundering act.
Gatekeepers News reports that Ijeoma Ojukwu who presided over the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja sentenced Okupe to two years imprisonment on Monday with an option of N500, 000 fine on each of the 26 counts for which he was found guilty.
The Judge gave Okupe up to 4:30 pm on Monday to pay the fine option, totalling the sum of N13 million 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 wife of the convict, Omolola Okupe, and that of his son, Adesunkanmi Okupe, and the allocutus by his counsel.
Okupe has paid the N13 million fine according to the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) Media Officer, Diran Onifade.
Gatekeepers News earlier reported that the Judge, Ojukwu convicted Okupe who was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC, in 2019, charged Okupe with a 59-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering and diversion of funds to the tune of N702 million.
Okupe was said to have received over N200 million cash from the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) while Sambo Dasuki was in office.
He was arraigned alongside two companies – Value Trust Investment Ltd and Abrahams Telecoms Ltd.
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, and 59,” the court ruled.
The Judge however found the defendants not guilty in counts 1 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.
In counts 34 to 59, upon which Okupe was convicted, he was accused of receiving various sums of money ranging from N10 million on different occasions from 2012 to 2015 when he was SSA to Goodluck Jonathan.
The said sum according to him was expended on running the office, payment of staff members and image laundering of the former president and his administration. But, the court, however, held that receiving such amounts in cash violated the Money Laundering Act.
