By Bukola Olasanmi
The Director-General of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Chief Doyin Okupe, has bagged two and half years jail term for breaching the Money Laundering Act.
Okupe was convicted of the offence on Monday by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
His family have since appealed to the Federal Government for mercy.
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, presiding over the case on Monday, found Okupe guilty of contravening sections 16(1)&(2) of the Money Laundering Act and accepting cash in excess of the threshold allowed under the Act without going through a financial institution.
Justice Ojukwu in a judgment delivered, 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.
While stating that the Act provides that no individual or organization shall receive any sum above N5 million and N10 million respectively without passing through a financial institution, the judge held that “there is no evidence that the money passed through a financial institution”.
According to Justice Ojukwu, the NSA was not a financial institution, adding that even if the president was said to have authorized the funds, he did not say that the money must be paid in cash in violation of the money laundering act.
Consequently the court held, “I find the first defendant, Dr Doyin Okupe guilty in count 34, 35, 36…… 59.”
The judge however found the defendants not guilty in counts 1 to 33 on the grounds that the prosecution failed to establish the charge of money laundering and criminal breach of trust and corruption against the NSA.
In counts 34 to 59 upon which Okupe was convicted, he was accused of receiving various sums ranging from N10 million on different occasions from 2012 to 2015 when he was SSA to President Jonathan.
The said sum, according to him, were expended on running the office, payment of staffs and image laundering of the former president and his administration.
But the court however held that receiving such amounts in cash violated the Money Laundering Act.
Shortly after his conviction, his lawyer Mr Francis Oronsaye, pleaded with the court to tamper justice with mercy on the grounds that the defendant was a first time offender, a family man who is also advanced in age and having health challenges that he is currently treating in Nigeria and outside the country.
Oronsaye, citing Section 310 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, urged the court to stand down the matter to enable him call witnesses that will attest to the good character of Okupe.
Lawyers to the second and third defendants also lent their voices in the plea for mercy, adding that the convict was a mere victim of circumstances.