Doyin Okupe Pays N13m Settlement For Money Laundering
Labour Party’s Presidential Campaign Council Director-General, Doyin Okupe, has paid the sum of N13 million for violating the Money Laundering Act.
Okupe was found guilty of receiving the sum of N240 million from the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki.
Okupe was given an option of N500, 000 in each of the counts, amounting to N13 million, which must be paid before 4:30 pm Monday after he was found guilty in 26 out of the 59 counts preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Ojukwu also ordered that if Okupe did not meet the option of a fine within the time frame, he should be taken to Kuje Correctional Centre to serve his prison term.
A report by NAN revealed that the sum had been paid and he had avoided jail, they said:
“A check at the court at about 6 pm showed that Okupe, who is the Director General of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, had paid the money.
The former senior special assistant on public affairs to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan was said to have received cash from the office of the national security adviser (NSA) while Sambo Dasuki, the NSA at the time, was in office.
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 judge said the NSA is not a financial institution and although the former president allegedly authorised the funds, he did not specify a cash payment in violation of the Money Laundering Act.
“I find the first defendant, Dr. Doyin Okupe, guilty on counts 34, 35, 36, to 59,” the court ruled.
Meanwhile, speaking during an interaction with journalists in Akwa Ibom, Peter Obi, Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, said the conviction of Okupe will not affect his campaign.
“I am hearing about it (the conviction) just like you. I am still studying what is coming out of the court and everything. I believe in the rule of law. It is not going to demoralise me,” NAN quoted Obi as saying.
“Today, when I arrived Akwa Ibom, somebody asked me why I haven’t been using my aircraft because it has been grounded and all that, and I said to him that nothing demoralises me.
“In my life, I have never stayed where they dropped me. Otherwise, I would have been where they dropped me before. This election, if they like, let them do anything about people who are around me, I will get there.”
