Alex Enumah in Abuja
A former Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, Dr. Doyin Okupe, has appealed his conviction by a Federal High Court, Abuja, on charges bordering on corruption and money laundering.
Okupe, in the appeal filed by his team of lawyers, led by Mr Joe-Kyari Gadzama, SAN, has also asked the appellate court to set aside his conviction and discharge him from all the charges.
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja had in a judgment delivered on December 19, 2022, found the former presidential aide guilty of accepting cash transaction above the N5 million approved by the Money Laundering Act and subsequently sentenced him to two years imprisonment.
The court however, gave an option of N13 million fine, which should be paid before 4.30pm of the close of work.
Dissatisfied, Okupe has approached the Court of Appeal to challenge the judgment of the trial court.
The appeal which is predicated on four grounds amongst others is claiming that the trial judge erred in arriving at a guilty verdict against the appellant.
The crux of Okupe’s appeal is that he had received the said sums in cash not in his individual capacity but on behalf of the office of the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Public Affairs and under the instructions of the ex-president and hence, should not be penalised unjustly.
Specifically, the former SSA in the appeal complained about the part of the judgment which convicted him under Counts 34 to 59 of the charge sheet.
Submitting that the judgment of the trial court was unreasonable and could not be supported, having regards to the evidence, he, therefore, prayed the court for, “An order allowing the appeal and setting aside the judgment of the trial court and to discharge and acquit the Appellant of all counts of the Charge sheet.
