The Federal High Court Abuja has found Dr Doyin Okupe guilty of receiving over N200 million cash from former National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki and also sentenced him to two years imprisonment.
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu while delivering judgement on Monday, held that the action of Okupe, who is the first defendant in the suit filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), violated the Money Laundering Act. He was found guilty on counts 34 to 59 of the charges.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Okupe in 2019 on a 59-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering and diversion of funds to the tune of N702 million.
He was arraigned before Ijeoma Ojukwu, the presiding judge, alongside two companies – Value Trust Investment Ltd and Abrahams Telecoms Ltd.
Okupe was said to have received cash from the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) while Sambo Dasuki was in office.
Delivering judgment on Monday, 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 court sentenced Okupe, who is the Director-General of the Peter Obi Campaign Organisation, to two years imprisonment 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 fine of N500,000. The option of fine is to run consecutively on each count while the sentence is to run concurrently. The sentence to run from the day of delivering the judgment.
The court noted that it refrains from making any custodial order, but the convict is the property of the state.
The judge also gave Okupe till 4:30 pm before being taken into custody.
(Channels)