The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, has said that the N13 million fine paid by Doyin Okupe, a former Special Adviser to ex-President, Goodluck Jonathan, in exchange for a two and a half year jail term is not justice.
Sowore said this during an interview on News Central’s Politics HQ, monitored by our correspondent on Thursday night.
The AAC presidential candidate said the N13 million fine vis a vis the N720 million Okupe was convicted for, did not substantiate the money laundered.
In a previous interview clip shown of Okupe and Sowore on Al Jazeera in 2013 where Okupe represented former president Jonathan, Sowore had accused him of corruption and money laundering, adding that Okupe was one of the people who “sold away Nigeria doing deals with military leaders.”
He further said Okupe as at then was on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s watch.
A livid Okupe had called Sowore “a huge joke, a liar and a man without any reputation, who collects money to destroy people’s reputation.”
Sowore, however, said nine years after their head-to-head on Al jazeera, Okupe was convicted for exactly what he had accused him off.
He also lamented the nine years period it took for Okupe to be convicted, saying the long waiting period enabled him to embezzle more funds.
Sowore said, “Nine years after that interview, he (Okupe) was convicted for money laundering. That is also part of the reason why I decided that writing and investigating corruption is not enough to change society. These guys have become used to even being exposed, they don’t care anymore. You saw him laughing conveniently. Laughing off the allegations on international TV.
“But look at how long it took for him to get convicted. Nine years later. During that period he had been accused again in 2016 or 2017 of corruption.
“So had they taken him out in 2013 he would not have access to another N720 million that he was accused of. Infact it was on that case that he was convicted here (four days ago).
“He was merely asked to pay back N13 million, someone who stole N720 million what fraction of the money he stole is that. That is not justice as far as I am concerned.
“It is part of the motivation that brought people like me to go into the political system to clean it up, create and mobilise a new set of young people with conscience.”
Okupe the former Director General of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, stepped down from his role at DG on Tuesday, following the ruling by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja that convicted him of violating the Money Laundering Act.
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu presiding on Monday found Okupe guilty of contravening sections 16(1) and (2) of the Money Laundering Act and accepting cash in excess of the threshold allowed under the Act without going through a financial institution.
Okupe was found guilty of receiving over N200 million cash from a former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.).
He was therefore sentenced to two years by Justice Ojuwku with an option of N500,000 fine on each of the 26 counts for which he was found guilty.
Delivering her judgment, the judge held that Okupe, who was the first defendant in the suit filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, violated the Money Laundering Act, and had up to 4:30 pm on Monday to pay the fine option, totalling the sum of N13 million on all the charges he was found guilty of or be sent the Kuje Correctional Centre.
Justice Ojukwu, in sentencing Okupe, considered the pleadings for leniency from the wife of the convict, Omolola Okupe, and that of his son, Adesunkanmi Okupe, and the allocutus by his counsel.
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