Doyin Okupe: DSS Acted In Error Due To Our Fault – EFCC

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has admitted that the Department of State Services, DSS acted in error due to its fault of not revoking the 2016 Watch-list request on former presidential aide to Goodluck Ebele Jonathan on Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe.

DSS had on Thursday arrested Doyin Okupe and handed him over to EFCC.

According to DSS Spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, Doyin Okupe was intercepted at Terminal 1 at the Murtala International Airport at the instance of the EFCC.

”He has long been handed over to the Commisson which requested for the action. Okupe was billed to fly to London via Virgin Atlantic” Afunanya said.

Reacting, EFCC said DSS acted on its 2016 July 18, Watch-list request on Doyin Okupe which the Court has ruled on.

“The Department of State Services, DSS, today, January 12, informed the Commission of the interception of Dr. Doyin Okupe, former presidential adviser, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

“The Service acted on a Watch-list request issued on July 18, 2016, over six years before his recent conviction on money laundering charges by the Federal High Court, Abuja.

“The Commission was in the process of formally lifting the watch-list before his interception and will expedite action in this regard”, EFCC statement reads.

It would be recalled that on Monday, December 19, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja discharged and found Doyin Okupe not guilty of all criminal charges of money laundering filed against him in count one to thirty three by the EFCC.

The Court only asked Doyin Okupe to pay 13 million naira fine or two years jail term for receiving said operational expenses in physical cash from Federal Government via the office of the then National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retired).

The Court presided by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, ruled that Doyin Okupe accepting cash payments of 10 million naira that were above the statutory threshold of 5 million without passing through financial institution was against the law.

Doyin Okupe was asked to pay 500 thousand nair each as fine on counts 34 to 59 before the court close for the day and failure to do so, he would be taken to Kuje Prison for two years imprisonment.

Doyin Okupe paid the fine before he was subsequently released or allowed to go home from the court.