The founder of DAAR Communications PLC, Chief Raymond Dokpesi has taken a fresh plea before Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Mr Dokpesi who is the owner of the African Independent Television (AIT) and Raypower Radio was first arraigned before Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the same court in Abuja by the federal government on a six count criminal charge of N2.1B money laundering in December 2015.
Mr Dokpesi’s fresh plea was necessitated by the re-assignment of his case to Justice James Tsoho who has just been transferred from Lagos to Abuja division of the court this year.
In the charge signed by Aliyu Yusuf, Deputy Director, Legal and Prosecution Department of EFCC, the accused was alleged to have between October 2014 and March 2015 conducted procurement fraud by receiving the sum of N2, 120,000,000 into the account of DAAR Investment and Holding Company for the funding of media activities for the 2015 presidential election campaign of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The alleged offence is contrary to section 58 (4) (b) of the Public Procurement Act 2007 and punishable under section 58 (6) and 7 of the same act.
After taking his plea, his lawyer Wole Olanipekun , urged the trial judge to admit Mr. Dokpesi to the same bail terms earlier granted to him by Justice Kolawole, saying that he had been of “good behaviour” since the commencement of the suit.
The plea was not opposed to by the prosecuting Counsel, Mister Rotimi Jacobs, who informed the court that he was more interested in commencing and advancing with the trial.
