A prominent presidential candidate named Peter Obi’s campaign manager was found guilty of money laundering by a Nigerian High Court in the nation’s capital, Abuja.
Doyin Okupe was found guilty of receiving more than $400,000 (£330,000) from a person without following the proper procedures in addition to other charges.
The presidential campaign of Mr. Obi is likely to suffer a serious setback as a result.
He has positioned himself as a departure from prior leaders and corrupted parties.
Just two months remain until the elections. Okupe, a crucial ally and the director-general of Mr. Obi’s campaign organisation.
Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, had charged Okupe in 2019 for money laundering and diversion of funds.
This was before he began working for Mr Obi. He was accused of accepting money in 2015 in excess of the amount that is allowed without having to declare it to the authorities.
Delivering the judgement on Monday, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu said that Okupe had violated the Money Laundering Act, and sentenced him to two years in prison – though there is the option to pay a fine.
Neither Okupe’s lawyers nor the Obi campaign have yet reacted to the judgement.
Mr Obi is running without the backing of either of Nigeria’s two main political parties but he has cultivated a lot of support among young people.
Mr Obi is among a field of 18 candidates, including Bola Tinubu of the governing APC and Atiku Abubakar of the PDP – the country’s two main political parties.
Source: NewsCentral.com