***Court finds Peter Obi’s DG guilty over breach of money laundering act
***Okupe’s wife, son beg court for leniency before sentence
The war against corruption has claimed another politically -exposed person as Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, sentenced the Director General of Peter Obi’s Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign Council, Dr Doyin Okupe, to two years imprisonment for breach of money laundering act.
But the judge gave Okupe the option of paying N13 million fine for the 52-year jail term for the N240 million money laundering offence.
Justice Ojukwu had ordered that the 26 counts, which attracted 2-year jail-term each, would run concurrently, meaning, the convict would only spend two years in prison.
The judge, however, gave the convict an option of paying N500, 000 in each of the counts, amounting to N13 million, which must be paid before 4:30pm-the close of work on Monday.
Justice Ojukwu also ordered that if the convict failed to meet the option of fine within the time frame, he should be taken to Kuje Correctional Centre to serve his prison term.
Okupe was also a Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media to former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had on January 2019, arraigned Okupe alongside two firms – Value Trust Investment Ltd and Abrahams Telecoms Ltd, following their involvement in N702million fraud.
Okupe 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 former National Security Adviser (ONSA), Col Sambo Dasuki.
After Okupe was convicted, his wife, Omolola and son, Adesunkanmi, had under allocutus (plea for leniency), urged the court to temper justice with mercy.
Omolola and Adesunkanmi, while testifying to the convict’s good character, begged the court to be lenient with their bread winner. Omolola also described her husband as a good man.
She said, “I got married to him on the 1st of May, 1991. My husband is a very good person. He had been a role model to myself and children with sound Christian values.
“I have never found him in any allegation of this before. I will like to appeal to the court for leniency.
“My husband has dedicated his life to serve the nation and he is not here today because he is found guilty of the offence but because of his mistake.
“I urge the court to consider his health and age which is 70 years. He has run his family effectively, My Lord,” she added.
On his own part, Adesunkanmi said: “I have known him for 31 years.
“He is a man of honesty and integrity with great character. I have a privilege of being mentored by him throughout my life time.
“He had imparted in me high value of perseverance and hard work that greatness comes by following God, unbending faith and diligence. This among many other is what I have learnt about Okupe.”
He therefore urged to the court to be lenient with his father.
Former Governor of old Anambra State, , 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.
Justice Ojukwu had earlier stood down proceedings for 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.
Delivering judgment in the matter, Justice Ojukwu held that Okupe was guilty of contravening sections 16(1) and (2) of the Money Laundering Act, for receiving cash payments without going through a bank, in excess of the threshold statutorily allowed.
Okupe was found guilty on a total of 26 counts – from counts 34 to 59 of the charges.
The judge sentenced Okupe to two years in prison on count 34 with an option of a fine of N500,000.
The court also sentenced him to two years imprisonment on counts 35 to 59 with an option of a fine of N500,000. The option of fine is to run consecutively on each count while the sentence is to run concurrently.
But the judge refrained from making any custodial order, saying that the convict is the property of the state.
Justice Ojukwu also gave Okupe till 4:30pm to pay the fine or risk being taken into custody.
Closing its case in the matter, an EFCC witness, Shuaibu Salisu, a former director of Administration and Finance at the ONSA, said in 2012, he was directed to make a payment of N50million to Okupe.”
According to him, “Okupe provided his account details, where I paid the amount into the bank account of Value Trust Investment.”
Shortly after his conviction, Okupe’s lawyer, Francis Oronsaye, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy on the grounds that Okupe was a first-time offender, a family man who is also advanced in age and having health challenges that he is currently treating in Nigeria and outside the country.
Fine paid
It was further gathered that Okupe was able to pay the fine before the deadline and was allowed to leave the court premises.
A source said, “Okupe has paid; they returned with the bank papers around 4.25pm. The court processed it, and everybody signed, including the EFCC lawyer.”
Shortly after his release, Okupe tweeted thus, “God is not man. The enemies have tried in so many ways but kept on failing. Victory is of God.”
