A Federal High Court in Jos, Plateau State has sentenced former minister of water resources Sarah Ochekpe to three-month imprisonment.
Also jailed for three months each is Raymond Dabo and Evangelist Leo Jitung.
Ochekpe was a minister in the cabinet of former President Goodluck Jonathan. Dabo is the former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Plateau while Jitung was the Plateau State coordinator of Jonathan Campaign Organisation.
The three accused persons had been standing trial since 2018 in a case of money laundering and conspiracy brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission amounting to over N450 million.
Ochekpe, Dabo and Jitung had entered a plea of no-case submission.
While sentencing the convicts, Justice Musa Kurna judge held that after withdrawing the said amount from the bank, they did not withhold the money to themselves but delivered same to a governorship candidate, as such were not guilty of retaining the sum for themselves.
Kurna however said they were guilty of withdrawing the N450 million which he said was above the threshold of an individual withdrawal.
He said the offence carries a minimum of three years imprisonment or N10 million fine.
The judge, however, sentenced them to three months imprisonment each or an option of N1 million each.
