Okupe in court
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned
Dr Doyin Okupe at the Federal High Court, Maitama, according to a report
by Channels Television.
Okupe, a former aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, was arraigned before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu on Monday in Abuja.
He was arraigned along with two companies, Value Trust Investment Ltd and Abrahams Telecoms Ltd, over allegations of fraud.
According to a statement from the anti-graft agency, Okupe was
charged with 59 counts bordering on “money laundering and criminal
diversion of funds” to the tune of N702 million.
One of the counts read: “That you, Dr Doyin Okupe, being the
Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan from July 2012
to May 2015, and being the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer,
and a signatory to the bank account of Abrahams Telecoms Ltd, on or
about the 3rd October, 2014 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this
Honourable Court, directly took possession or control of the sum of N35
million, transferred to the account of Abrahams Telecoms Ltd from the
account of the Office of the National Security Adviser with the Central
Bank of Nigeria purporting to be for special services when you
reasonably ought to have known that the said fund formed part of the
proceeds of an unlawful activity”.
Okupe who is also a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), however, pleaded “not guilty” to the charges.
Upon his plea, the prosecuting counsel, Ibrahim Audu, asked for a date for the commencement of the trial.
But Okupe’s counsel, Tolu Babaleiye, through a motion on notice
dated December 17, 2018, prayed the court to admit the defendant to
bail.
He said, “The defendant will in no way tamper with evidence
since the proof of evidence is before the court that means investigation
has been concluded,” he said.
After listening to both parties, Justice Ojukwu granted bail to the
defendant in the sum of N100 million with one surety in like sum.