Ogona Anita
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has convicted Doyin Okupe, director-general of the Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Council, for money laundering.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Okupe in 2019 on a 59-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering and diversion of funds to the tune of N702 million. He was arraigned before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu alongside two companies – Value Trust Investment Ltd and Abrahams Telecoms Ltd.
Okupe, a former Senior Special Assistant on Media to former president Goodluck Jonathan, was convicted for breaching the Money Laundering Act.
In a judgment on Monday, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu found Okupe guilty of contravening sections 16(1)&(2) of the Money Laundering Act, for accepting cash payments without going through the financial institution, in excess of the threshold allowed under the Act.
Meanwhile, the court said his plea of ignorance of the source of the N240m is no excuse.
Failure to comply to the order before the end of the day, he will be taken into custody.
