Justice Dehinde Dipeolu, of the Federal High Court in Lagos, on Wednesday, sentenced a businessman, Sunday Okorie, to six months imprisonment for failing to declare the sum of $299,000 and €100.

The judge also ordered the forfeiture of the $299,000, and €100 to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Earlier, Okorie had suddenly collapsed mid-way into his case.

The commotion disrupted the court’s sitting, and all efforts by the lawyers and court staff who tried to revive him proved abortive.

Justice Dipeolu, who the case was before, got down from the bench and asked the court staff and the lawyers to take him to the court’s clinic.

But all efforts by the court’s clinic to revive him for over one hour did not yield any result. Consequently, he was taken to the hospital for further medical attention.

Okorie was, on Tuesday, arraigned before the court on four counts bordering on alleged money laundering and importation of counterfeit foreign currencies preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The EFCC’s prosecution counsel, Chineye Okezie, during the arraignment on Tuesday, told the court that Okorie allegedly failed to declare the sum of $299,000, and was in possession of counterfeit $250 and €100.

Okezie told the court that the defendant concealed the sum of $299,000, $250 and €100, counterfeit foreign currencies in relaxer containers to the Nigerian Customs Service at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja.

The prosecutor said that Okorie committed the alleged offences on March 19, 2025.

However, the convict pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

Following Okorie’s arraignment on Tuesday, Justice Dipeolu remanded the defendant at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre and adjourned the matter till Wednesday, for trial.

At the resumed trial of the matter on Wednesday, the defence counsel, Mr Uche Okoronkwo, informed the court of the intention of the defendant to change his plea from not guilty to guilty and this position was corroborated by the prosecutor who also told the court that the prosecution would be amending the charge by withdrawing two of the four counts.

She said, “In view of the defendant’s wish to change his plea, from not guilty to guilty to counts one and two, the commission would like to withdraw counts three and four.”

However, Justice Dipeolu granted the request to withdraw counts three and four.

The court then struck out counts three and four of the charge and ordered that the remaining two counts be read to the defendant so that he could take his plea afresh.

While the court registrar was about to read the charge, he asked Okorie if he understood the English language, but the defendant didn’t respond and his breathing was noticed to have changed, and he suddenly slumped inside the dock.

Immediately, the defendant slumped, his wife and daughter, who were present in the courtroom room, started crying!


https://punchng.com/lagos-bizman-jailed-six-months-for-money-laundering/