CRIMINAL PROSECUTION 02/02/2024
Court Jails Actress 6 Months for Spraying, Stepping on New Naira Notes
A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, yesterday, convicted and sentenced one Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin, an actress, to six months imprisonment for spraying and stepping on the new Naira notes at a social event in Lagos.
She was first arraigned on February 13, 2023 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a two-count charges, to which she pleaded “not guilty.”
She was subsequently granted bail on February 15, 2023.
At the resumed hearing, yesterday, Omoseyin, however, changed her “not guilty” plea to “guilty,” in view of the overwhelming evidence against her.
Following her “guilty plea,” the prosecution counsel, Z.B. Atiku called Abubakar Marafa, an operative of the EFCC, to review the facts of the matter.
Marafa recalled that “the defendant was arrested by officers of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, on February 1, 2023 and was handed over to the commission on February 2, 2023 for further investigation.”
According to him, the defendant’s statement was taken under caution, where she stated that she attended a friend’s wedding on January 28, 2023 and that she sprayed N200 and N100 notes on the occasion.
Delivering judgment, trial judge, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke sentenced the defendant to six months imprisonment, effective from Thursday, with an option of N300,000 fine to be paid into the consolidated revenue account of the federation.