Following his conviction for money laundering about 24 hours earlier, former presidential aide, Doyin Okupe, on Tuesday stepped down as the Director-General of Labour Party President Campaign Council.
Doyin Okupe announced his resignation in a letter he addressed to Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
He also shared the letter on the social media.
In the letter dated December 20, 2022, Okupe said he is resigning from the position to seek justice and cleared his name over his conviction for money laundering.
“I have invested too much in your campaign to allow my personal travails to become a source of distraction.
“In the circumstances, I have opted to step aside and plead that you appoint a new Campaign DG who can continue the assignment with zero distractions.”
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had on Monday convicted Okupe and sentenced him to two years imprisonment for breaching the Money Laundering Act.
The presiding judge, Ijeoma Ojukwu found Okupe guilty of receiving over N200 million cash from former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki while he was a special assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The Judge said Okupe violated violated the Money Laundering Act by receiving the funds in cash.
The Judge noted 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 court also said even if former President Jonathan authorized the disbursement of the funds, he did not say that the money must be paid in cash in violation of money laundering act.
But the court dismissed counts 1 to 33 filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on the grounds that the anti-graft agency was unable to prove the allegation of criminal breach of trust and corruption.
In counts 34 to 59 on which Okupe was convicted, he was accused of receiving various sums ranging from N10 million on different occasions from 2012 to 2015 when he was SSA to the former President.
He was thus fined N500,000 on each of the counts — totalling N13 million
He paid the N13m fine and thus avoided going to jail.
Credit- pm news
