Newsonline reports that Deji said the Nationa Security Adviser who gave Doyin money for which he was convicted for money laundering was the one that breached the law.
“Doyin Okupe cannot be accused of any corruption whatsoever because he was not the NSA who stole public funds but his only mistake is breaching the MLA by receiving cash above the lawful prescribed sum. And almost all Nigerians make this mistake. This is a lesson for all.”
Deji further argued, “a man that the law does not place a duty of care on cannot be held accountable for a crime committed by another man that should have exercised that duty. If not, everyone that received money from Okupe from the ONSA funds will also be guilty of corruption including his driver.
Deji said though the trial judge based her judgement on Doyin collecting upto N5 million naira which is criminal as an indivial he maintains his position that the Labour Party campaign director general committed no crime.
“The basis of her (Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu) conviction of Okupe is on the issue of receiving cash above the prescribed N5m for individuals as stipulated in MLA.
“I insist that Okupe wasn’t in a position to know whether the money from ONSA was from illicit act and such no burden can be placed on him because the duty of care will always be on Dasuki who ought to know. However, a crime was committed by accepting cash above N5m by Okupe,” Deji added.
Doyin Okupe, former Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, and chieftain of the Labour party was on Monday convicted by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja for money laundering to the tune of N700 million.
It was alleged that Okupe received funds from the office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, which he could not account for. He was convicted and sentenced to two years imprisonment on counts 34 to 59.
The charges are centered on accusations of receiving various sums ranging from N10million in different occasions from 2012 to 2015 from ONSA when he was senior special assistant on public affairs to former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The court, however, gave the defendant an option of N500,000 fine on each of the counts.
He was however discharged on counts one to 33 which bordered on money laundering and criminal breach of trust
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