Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Upstream and governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in Akwa Ibom State, Senator Bassey Akpan, has been sentenced to 42 years in a correctional facility by a Federal High Court, Uyo, for corruption.
Senator Akpan, who was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has been taken to Ikot Ekpene Custodial Centre, Akwa Ibom State, to serve his term.
He was accused of receiving bribes of 12 cars worth N254 million from an oil marketer Olajide Omokore during his (Akpan’s) tenure (2010 – 2014) as Commissioner for Finance in Akwa Ibom State.
The maximum sentence for each of the six counts is 14 years but the judge pronounced that he was to serve seven years for each of the six counts.
In addition, he is to return N204 million as restitution to the Federal Government after serving the sentence.
The judge did not include an option of a fine.
The defence counsel, Solomon Offiong (SAN), pleaded that the court should temper justice with mercy and include an option of a fine.
But EFCC opposed the plea, citing legal authority to convince the court not to grant the option of a fine, particularly in the light of the fact that the court had not opted for the maximum sentence.
The convicted senator was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before he defected months ago to the YPP, where he secured the party’s ticket for the 2023 governorship election.
He was a major challenger to the PDP candidate, Umo Eno, in next year’s governorship election in Akwa Ibom State.
