Court jails Doyin Okupe for money laundering

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has jailed Dr Doyin Okupe, who is the Director-General of Peter Obi’s Labour (LP) Presidential Campaign Council for two years for money laundering offences.

Penpushing reports that, the former Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media to former President Goodluck Jonathan bagged the jail term on Monday, having being found guilty of contravening sections 16(1) and (2) of the Money Laundering Act

The Judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu while delivering judgement held that Okupe received cash payments without going through a bank, in excess of the threshold statutorily allowed, and was found guilty on a total of 26 counts – from counts 34 to 59 of the charges.

Penpushing also reports that, the judge sentenced the Director-General of Peter Obi’s Labour (LP) Presidential Campaign Council to two years in prison on count 34 with an option of a fine of N500,000, and in same vein, sentenced him to two years imprisonment on counts 35 to 59 with an option of a fine of N500,000.

The court declared that, the option of fine is to run consecutively on each count while the sentence is to run concurrently, while the convict was also refrained from making any custodial order but said the convict is the property of the state.

Penpushing reports that, it is recalled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in January 2019, arraigned Okupe alongside two companies – Value Trust Investment Ltd and Abrahams Telecoms Ltd, over allegations of N702 fraud.

The Medical Doctor turned politician  was charged with 59 counts bordering on money laundering and criminal diversion of funds  to the tune of N702 million from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), which was headed by Sambo Dasuki.

Penpushing further reports that, an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC),Shuaibu Salisu while  closing the  case, an EFCC witness, Shuaibu Salisu, said in 2012, he was directed to make a payment of N50 million to him.

The former Director of Administration and Finance at the ONSA, added that he was also directed by the ONSA to be paying N10 million monthly to Okupe for over two years, which he said was reduced to a monthly N5 million towards the end of 2014 due to paucity of funds.

Penpushing also reports that the witness recalled paying another N50 million in cash to Okupe on the orders of Dasuki, who equally faces charges at the Federal and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Courts in Abuja.

The former Director of Administration and Finance disclosed to the court that sometime in 2012, Okupe came to the Office of the National Security Adviser, and after their discussion, he was directed to make a payment of N50 million to him, adding that the convict provided his account details, where he (Salisu)paid the amount into the bank account of Value Trust Investment.

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