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The immediate past director-general of the Labour Party (LP), Doyin Okupe, has been released from the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Okupe was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) on Thursday morning, January 12, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos state.
The DSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, while confirming the arrest on Thursday afternoon, said that Okupe was arrested based on a directive from the anti-graft agency.
Afunanya said that, “Doyin Okupe was intercepted by DSS officials at Terminal 1 of Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, on Thursday morning.
“The arrest was based on the directive of EFCC.
“He has been handed over to the anti-graft agency, which requested for the action.
“Okupe was billed to fly to London via Virgin Atlantic,” he added.
Also, one of Okupe’s lawyers, Tolu Babaleye, alleged that before Okupe’s arrest, DSS officials asked the former DG of LP’s presidential campaign council to provide the court processes where he paid the fine option following his money laundering conviction by the federal high court, Abuja.
However, Okupe, in a tweet, on Thursday afternoon, confirmed his release from EFCC custody.
Recall that Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, on December 19, 2022, found Okupe guilty of receiving over N240 million cash from former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki.
Justice Ojukwu, while delivering the judgment, held that the action of Okupe, who is the first defendant in the suit filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), violated the money laundering act.
While stating that the act provides that no individual or organization shall receive any sum above N5 million and N10 million respectively without passing through a financial institution, the judge held that “there is no evidence that the money passed through a financial institution.”
According to Justice Ojukwu, the NSA is not a financial institution, adding that even if the president had authorized the funds, he did not specifically state that the money must be paid in cash, The Nation reports.
Consequently, the court held that Okupe was guilty in counts 34, 35, 36, and 59.
The judge, however, found the defendant not guilty in counts 1 to 33 on the grounds that the prosecution failed to establish the charge of money laundering and criminal breach of trust and corruption against the NSA.
In counts 34 to 59 upon which Okupe was convicted, he received various sums of money ranging from N10 million on different occasions from 2012 to 2015 when he was a senior special adviser to former president Goodluck Jonathan.
Consequently, Justice Ojukwu sentenced Okupe to two years in prison on count 34 with an option of a fine of N500,000.
The court also sentenced him to two years imprisonment on counts 35 to 59 with an option of N500,000 fine.
However, the LP presidential campaign council (PCC), on December 19, said that Okupe, paid N13 million fine following his conviction.
Okupe, on December 20, stepped down from his position as the director-general of the party’s presidential campaign council.
He announced his resignation in a letter addressed to Peter Obi, LP presidential candidate.
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