Peter Obi’s DG, Doyin Okupe Sentenced To 2 Years In Prison

Doyin Okupe, director-general of the Peter Obi presidential campaign council, has been given a two-year prison term by an Abuja federal high court for violating the money laundering act.

Okupe was found guilty of 26 of the 59 counts laid against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in a decision delivered on Monday (EFCC).

The presiding judge, Ijeoma Ojukwu, gave Okupe a two-year prison term on each of the counts.

The two terms must go hand in hand according to the judge.

The judge, however, gave the defendant a window, as he can choose to pay a total fine of N13 million, or N500,000, on each count.

Okupe was charged by the EFCC in 2019 with 59 counts related to suspected money laundering and fund diversion totalling N702 million.

He was charged to court along with Value Trust Investment Ltd. and Abrahams Telecoms Ltd.

Okupe was alleged to have received money from the NSA’s office while Sambo Dasuki served as the national security adviser at the time.

Judge Ojukwu determined that Okupe had violated sections 16(1) and (2) of the Money Laundering Act by taking cash payments beyond the maximum amount permitted by the Act without first going through a financial institution.

The court decided that even though the former president is believed to have authorized the payments, he failed to specify a cash payment in violation of the Money Laundering Act, adding the NSA is not a financial institution.

The court ruled, “I find the first defendant, Dr Doyin Okupe, guilty on counts 34, 35, 36, to 59.”

The judge found the defendants not guilty of counts one to 33 following the prosecution’s failure to prove that the NSA was guilty of money laundering, criminal breach of trust, and corruption.

The case was put on hold until 1:45 p.m. prior to the sentencing so that Okupe could call witnesses to speak about his character, as required by section 310 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.

After the proceedings were finished, the sentence was given.

Omolola, Okupe’s wife, and Adesunkanmi, his son, implored the court to temper justice with mercy in their testimony shortly after the conviction in accordance with section 310 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.