Pay N13m fine or serve 2 year jail term, court tells Okupe

Doyin Okupe, the Campaign Director of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, has been ordered by a federal high court sitting in Abuja to pay a fine of N13m or serve two years jail term.

The order is coming after Okupe, a former ally of president Goodluck Jonathan, was convicted for breaching the Money Laundering Act.

In a judgment on Monday, the presiding judge, 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.

Okupe’s conviction is in connection to Dasuki’s arms deal which he was arraigned in 2019. He reportedly received the total sum of N240m from the former National Security Adviser.

Meanwhile, the court said his plea of ignorance of the source of the N240m is no excuse.

He was therefore sentenced to 2 years jail term or pay a fine of N13m.

Failure to comply to the order before the end of the day, he will be taken into custody.

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