Doyin Okupe was found guilty of violating the money laundering act by the court.
Trial is put on hold pending sentencing.
The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court stated on Monday that Doyin Okupe, a former senior special adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan, entered a plea of guilty to breaking a federal anti-money laundering rule.
Justice Ijeoma Ojuwku ruled that Dr. Doyin Okupe was guilty of accepting more than N200 million in payment from a former National Security Advisor (NSA). Colonel Sambo Dasuki.
In a ruling, Justice Ojuwku declared that Okupe’s behavior—the first defendant in the lawsuit brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)—violated the Money Laundering Act.
The judge found that “there is no evidence that the money passed through a financial institution,” despite the fact that the Act mandates that no person or organization receive any sum over N5 million or N10 million without first going through a financial institution.
Justice Ojuwku asserted that the National Security Agency (NSA) was not a financial institution, and that even if the president was alleged to have sanctioned the payments, he did not specify that the cash payment of the monies was required in order to avoid breaking the Money Laundering Act.
The judge ruled, “I find the first defendant, Dr. Doyin Okupe, guilty on counts 34, 35, 36, and 59.
However, the court declared the defendants not guilty in charges 1 through 33 on the grounds that the prosecution had failed to prove that the NSA had engaged in money laundering, criminal breach of trust, and corruption.
Okupe was accused of accepting various payments totaling N10 million at various times between 2012 and 2015 while serving as president Jonathan’s SSA in counts 34 to 59, for which he was found guilty.
He said that the aforementioned cash was used for office operations, employee compensation, and image restoration for the previous president and his cabinet.
The judge did rule, however, that accepting such sums in cash was against the Money Laundering Act.
Shortly after his conviction, the defendant’s attorney, Mr. Francis Oronsaye, pleaded with the court to exercise mercy in light of the fact that the defendant was a first-time offender, a family man who is also elderly and has health issues that he is currently treating both inside and outside of Nigeria.
In order to allow him to bring witnesses who will swear to Okupe’s excellent character, Oronsaye pleaded with the court to adjourn the case in accordance with Section 310 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
An appeal for clemency is also made on behalf of the second and third defendants’ clients, whose attorneys add that their clients were merely victims of circumstances.
The prosecution’s attorney, Mr. Audu Ibrahim, objected to the request, but the judge decided to postpone it so the defendant may call witnesses before the judge gave her punishment.
Doyin Okupe, who was born in Ogun State, is in charge of Peter Obi’s presidential campaign for the Labour Party.
Mr. Doyin is currently receiving criticism from opposition political groups on social media as of the time of this publication.
