By Taiye Agbaje
Abuja – A Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, convicted and sentenced Mr Doyin Okupe, former Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, to two years imprisonment.
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, in a judgment, found Okupe guilty of 26 out of the 59 counts charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a money laundering offence.
Justice Ojukwu ordered that the 26 counts, which attracted two-year jail-term each, would run concurrently.
The judge, however, gave an option of N500, 000 fine for each of the counts, amounting to N13 million.
The court ordered that the amount must be paid before 4:30pm ,(the close of work) today, Monday, December 19.
The wife and son of Okupe had pleaded for leniency after he was convicted.
Besides, former Governor of old Anambra State, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, and former Director – General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Dr Idi Farouk, had also pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy in Okupe’s sentencing.
The court, presided over by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, had convicted Okupe for breaching the Money Laundering Act.
Justice Ojukwu, in a judgment, held that Okupe was found guilty of contravening Sections 16(1)&(2) of the Money Laundering Act, for accepting cash payments without going through financial institution, in excess of the threshold allowed under the Act.
Okupe is the Director General of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the Labour Party (LP).
Okupe was said to have received N240 million in cash from the office of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Col. Sambo Dasuki.
The judge 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 him. (NAN/vitalnewsngr.com)
