Money laundering: Doyin Okupe pays N13 million charge, released by Court

Dr Doyin Okupe, a former Senior Special Assistant to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, was on Monday, December 19, 2022, sentenced to two years in Prison after being found guilty of receiving over N200m cash from a former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd).

What the court did: Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of a Federal High Court in Abuja, hammered Okupe with the prison Sentence with an option of N500, 000 fine on each of the 26 count charges for which he was found guilty.

What the court said: She held that Okupe, who is the first defendant in the suit filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission violated the Money Laundering Act adding that he had up to 4.30 pm to pay the fine option totalling N13m on all the charges he was found guilty of or be sent to the Kuje Correctional Centre.

Why the court had pity on Okupe: Justice Ojukwu, in sentencing Okupe, considered the pleadings for leniency from the convict’s wife, Omolola, and his son, Adesunkanmi.

“There is no evidence that the money passed through a financial institution” and that Okupe was not a financial institution, and that, even if the president was said to have authorised the funds, he did not say that the money must be paid in cash.

How Doyin Okupe was released by the court: However, the Former Presidential aide was able to pay the fine before the deadline. He paid and they returned with the bank papers around 4:25pm. The court processed it, and everybody signed, including the EFCC lawyer.

What you should know: Doyin Okupe is the presidential campaign director general for Peter Obi of Labour Party