Conviction: Okupe victim of honest mistake, says counsel

Tolu Babaleye, counsel for a former Special Adviser to the President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr Doyin Okupe, has said that his client is a victim of honest mistake and circumstances.

Tolu Babaleye stated this immediately after the court convicted the former PDP chieftain, who is now the Director General of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council.

A Federal High Court on Monday in Abuja convicted Okupe over the diversion of arms funds from the office of the National Security Adviser.

He said, “Dr Doyin Okupe is a victim of honest mistake and circumstances. He was found not guilty in counts 1 to 37, which bordered on money laundering, fraud, corruption and misappropriation of monies he took from the office of NSA; But he had issues when it comes to counts 38 to 59, which provide that he was guilty of an offence of collecting money in excess of N5 million, which is a permissible threshold under the Money Laundering Act.

• We’ll overcome crises dividing our party – Ortom
• Scores feared dead as canoe conveying traders capsizes in Kogi

“The court has graciously listened to allocutus from him and based on the evidence of his good character given by impeccable Nigerians of the caliber of Chukwuemeka Ezeife former governor of Anambra State, Muhammad Idi Farouq, his wife and one of his sons the court became persuaded that he deserves to be given mercy and sentenced him to two and a half years.

“The court said the the sentences will run concurrently and an alternative that he should pay N500,000 each in each of the count for 26 count charges in which he was found guilty of collecting money in excess of N5 million.

“And the court has said that he has up 4:30 this afternoon to sort out himself by way of paying the fine, but if he can’t he will be taken to Kuje prison.

“I told EFCC officials that they should not harass him; he is already a convict. They should give him an opportunity to sort out himself just as the court has said.”

But responding the EFCC lawyer, Ibrahim Audu, said, “It was corruption to pay money to collect money. Why do you want to accept cash payment but you don’t want it to pass the financial institution? You don’t want it to be retrieved.”