Doyin Okupe, the former director-general of the Peter Obi presidential campaign council, has been sentenced to two years in prison by a federal high court in Abuja for violating the money laundering act.
Okupe was found guilty of 26 out of the 59 charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2019, which included allegations of money laundering and diversion of funds totaling N702 million ($1.9 million).
He was also given the option to pay a fine of N500,000 ($1,366) on each of the counts, totaling N13 million ($35,646). The sentence will be served concurrently.
The judge ruled that Okupe was guilty of contravening sections 16(1)&(2) of the Money Laundering Act by accepting cash payments in excess of the legal threshold without going through a financial institution.
The judge found Okupe not guilty on counts one to 33 due to a lack of evidence for the charges of money laundering, criminal breach of trust, and corruption against him.
Okupe’s wife and son testified on his behalf and asked the court to show mercy.
