By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A former Minister of Water Resources, Mrs Sarah Ochekpe, has been convicted by Justice H. M. Kurya of the Federal High Court, Jos, Plateau State.
Mrs Ochekpe was found guilty of an amended three-count charge bordering on conspiracy and money laundering levelled against her by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Delivering the judgement on Tuesday, February 22, 2022, the judge held that she was guilty of the allegation that she received the sum of N450 million from Fidelity Bank Plc through cash and wire transfer by some oil companies and former Petroleum Resources Minister, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, to influence the outcome of the 2015 presidential election.
When the Gombe Zonal Command of the EFCC arraigned the former Minister and two others, Evan Leo Sunday Jitong and Raymond Dabo, deputy director for Goodluck/Sambo 2015 election campaign and former Acting Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Plateau State respectively, they were accused of N450 million for the poll.
According to a statement issued by the agency, investigations showed that on March 26, 2015, the sum of N450 million was withdrawn from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) by Fidelity Bank Plc, Jos main branch and then handed over to the defendants in cash after they signed for collection.
Though the defendants claimed that they handed over the money to late Senator Gyang Pwajok, the Plateau State PDP Governorship candidate in 2015, they, however, failed to provide any evidence to support the claim.
At the court today, the judge convicted the defendants on count one, bordering on conspiracy to accept cash payment above threshold under the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2012 (as amended) and sentenced to three years imprisonment with an option of N2 million fine each.
On count two, the defendants were convicted and sentenced to three years imprisonment with an option of N2 million. The sentences are to run consecutively, according to the court.
Aduragbemi Omiyale 
Adedapo Adesanya