Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday jailed a businessman, Sunday Okorie, for failing to declare the sum of $299,000 and having counterfeit $250 notes and €100 notes in his possession.
Justice Dipeolu also ordered that the $299,000 seized from Okorie by the Commission (EFCC) be forfeited to the federal government.
The court gave the verdict after the convict pleaded guilty to a two-count money laundering charge.
However, the judge briefly halted the proceedings when Okorie collapsed in the dock while attempting to change his plea.
Okorie, who was arraigned before the court on Tuesday on a four-count money laundering charge and the unlawful importation of counterfeit foreign currencies, could not be revived by the court’s medical staff, leading to his evacuation to the General Hospital in Lagos for further medical attention.
The drama started after the defence counsel, Uche Okoronkwo, informed the court that his client would like to change his plea from not guilty to guilty.
Okoronkwo asked the court to allow the charge to be reread to Okorie.
The EFCC prosecutor, Chineye Okezie, confirmed the development and also informed the judge that the anti-graft agency would be withdrawing counts three and four of the charge.
After listening to the lawyers, the trial judge, Justice Deinde Dipeolu, ordered the court registrar to read counts one and two to the defendant.
As the registrar was about to read the counts, he asked the defendant if he understood English. Okorie did not respond but suddenly slumped and collapsed in the dock.
After stabilising Okorie at the hospital, he was brought back to court to continue the proceedings.
Okezie informed the court on Tuesday that the defendant concealed the $299,000 and counterfeit $250 and €100 notes in relaxer containers to deceive the Nigerian Customs Service at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja.
Okezie, who stated that the offences occurred on March 19, 2025, also claimed that the defendant imported five counterfeit $50 notes, totalling $250, with the following serial numbers: MB67951730 D, MB93612802 A, MB67957416 D, MB67957308 D, and MB121997428 C, knowing they were counterfeit.
