Court convicts actress for debasing Naira at party

A Nigerian actress, Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin has been sentenced to six months’ imprisonment by the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos State having been found guilty of spraying and stepping on new Naira notes at a friend’s wedding in Lagos.

Penpushing reports that the convict was arrested on February 1, 2023 after a video clip showing her spraying some new Naira notes at a wedding in Lekki, Lagos State, on January 28 2023 went viral on social media platforms.

The actress committed the crime at a time there was a severe scarcity of Naira notes following the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s withdrawal of old 200-, 500- and 1000-Naira notes from circulation and replacement of the affected currency notes with newly designed versions which were hard to come by at the time.

Penpushing further reports that Omoseyin was arrested by operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, (ICPC), along Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, after the video of her spraying and stepping on the newly redesigned Naira notes at a party surfaced online.

The viral video equally revealed that, she was seen flaunting wads of the new Naira notes, but claimed in a statement that she received the new Naira notes from her fans at the party and that she did not know the persons who gave her the money, while items recovered from her at the point of arrest include a Range Rover.

Penpushing also reports that Omoseyin was first arraigned on February 13,2023 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on two counts accusing her of violating provisions of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Act 2007 on the handling of Naira notes.

The actress had pleaded not guilty and was subsequently granted bail on February 15, 2023, but at the resumed hearing on Thursday, she changed her not guilty plea to guilty, following her review of the evidence lined up against her.

Penpushing reports that following her guilty plea the prosecuting counsel, Z.B. Atiku, called on an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operative, Abubakar Mohammed Marafa, to review the facts of the matter.

The operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in his review, recalled that the defendant was arrested by officers of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, (ICPC), on February 1, 2023, and handed over to the crimes commission on February 2, 2023 for further investigation.”

Penpushing further reports that Marafa said, the defendant’s statement was taken under caution, confirming that she attended a friend’s wedding on January 28, 2023, and that she sprayed N200 and N100 Naira notes on the occasion.

‘The defendant was processed and the videos of where she sprayed the money was found on her phone. Also, further investigations were carried out and the management of the event centre was invited. They also brought in the video footage of the said event’, Marafa said.

Penpushing also reports that the prosecuting counsel then applied to tender in evidence the letter from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, (ICPC), and other accompanying documents.

These including the extra-judicial statement of the defendant, forensic report of her phone, a CD of videos showing her spraying the naira note, a flash drive from the event centre together with the statement of the representative of the centre.

Penpushing reports that the defence counsel, Afuye Adegbola, pleaded for leniency, pointing out that she’s a first-time offender; a mother of one; is remorseful and pleads for mercy, as well as  for a non-custodial sentence on behalf of the convict.

The trial judge, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, sentenced her to six months’ imprisonment effective from Thursday but with an option of N300,000 fine to be paid into the consolidated revenue account of the Nigerian Government.

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