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Tag: Fine

  • Just In: Doyin Okupe pays N13m conviction fine for fraud

    Just In: Doyin Okupe pays N13m conviction fine for fraud

    Mr. Doyin Okupe, former Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, on Monday evening, paid the sum of N13 million for the 52-year jail term bagged for N240 million money laundering offence.

    Justuce Ijeoma Ojukwu, in a judgment, had found Okupe guilty in 26 out of the 59 counts preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    Justice Ojukwu had ordered that the 26 counts, which attracted 2-year jail-term each, would run concurrently, meaning, the convict would only spend two years in prison.

    The judge, however, gave an option of N500, 000 in each of the counts, amounting to N13 million, which must be paid before 4:30pm (the close of work) today.

    She ordered that if Okupe failed to meet the option of fine within the time frame, he should be taken to Kuje Correctional Centre to serve his prison term.

    However, a check at the court at about 6pm showed that  Okupe, who is the Director General of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Candidate, Mr Peter Obi, had paid the money.

    It was earlier reported that the wife and son of Okupe had pleaded for leniency after he was convicted.

    Mrs Omolola and Mr Adesunkanmi Okupe, while testifying to the convict’s good character, begged the court to temper justice with mercy.

    Omolola decsribed her husband as a good man.

    “I got married to him on the 1st of May, 1991.

    “My husband is a very good person. He had been a role model to myself and children with sound Christian values

    “I have never found him in any allegation of this before,. I will like to appeal to the court for leniency.

    “My husband has dedicated his life to serve the nation and he is not here today because he is found guilty of the offence but because of his mistake.

    “I ask the court to consider his health and age which is 70 years.

    “He has run his family effectively my lord,” she said.

    Also, Adesunkanmi said: “I have known him for 31 years.

    “He is a man of honesty and integrity with great character..

    “I have a privilege of being mentored by him throughout my life time.

    “He had imparted in me high value of perseverance and hard work that greatness comes by following God, unbending faith and diligence.

    “This among many other is what I have learnt about Okupe.”

    He appealed to the court to be lenient

    Besides, former Governor of old Anambra, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, and former National Orientation Agency (NOA), Dr Idi Farouk, had also urged the court to temper justice with mercy in Okupe’s sentencing.

    The judge had, earlier, stood down proceedings for Okupe to exercise his right under Section 310 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) to call witnesses to testify about his character, before the court could proceed to pronounce sentence on the convict.

    The court presided over by Justice Ojukwu, had convicted Okupe for breaching the Money Laundering Act.

    The judge held that Okupe was found guilty of contravening Sections 16(1)&(2) of the Money Laundering Act, for accepting cash payments without going through financial institution, in excess of the threshold allowed under the Act.

    Okupe was said to have received N240 million in cash from the office of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (retired).

  • India slams $113m fine on Google parent company

    India slams $113m fine on Google parent company

    India’s competition watchdog has imposed a fine of 9.36 billion rupees ($113.4 million) on Google parent Alphabet.

    The country’s competition commission accused Google of abusing the dominant role of the Google Play Store by forcing app developers there to use Google’s payment system for app purchases and purchases within apps.

    The competition commission also ordered the company to allow app developers to use any payment system.

    The commission had earlier fined Alphabet the equivalent of $164 million for allegedly abusing the dominant role of its Android operating system to boost its main business of online searches.

    Google and other Silicon Valley firms are vying for market share in India, soon to be officially the world’s most populous country.

    Android phones are very popular in India.

  • Indiscipline cost Davido N188m fine after London concert

    Indiscipline cost Davido N188m fine after London concert

    Nigerian music sensation, Davido has reportedly been fined £340,000 (N188 million) in UK after his London show at O2 Arena.

    The concert which held on Friday started at 6:30pm.

    Marvin Abbey, a social media influencer based in London, in a tweet said Davido was supposed to finish his concert at the O2 Arena at 11pm, but overshot the time.

    He said the O2 Area has a strict 11pm curfew and that for every minute “you go past 11pm, you have to pay £10,000.

    “Davido said he did not care. He finished the concert at 23:34. That’s £340,000 fine. Mental!”

    Abbey tweeted again after people faulted his claim, saying: “For all the people saying I’m lying about the Davido tweet, the O2 curfew is nothing new.

    “Read up on it, I don’t have time to argue. The Rolling Stones & Justin Bieber have also been fined in the past. It’s actually Greenwich council that issue the fine.”

  • Judge fines Prosecution Counsel for absence in Kanu’s co-defendants’ trial

    Judge fines Prosecution Counsel for absence in Kanu’s co-defendants’ trial

    Justice Binta Nyako of a Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, ordered the Prosecution Counsel, to pay N200, 000 for stalling the day’s proceeding in the trial of co-defendants in Nnamdi Kanu on treasonable felony charge.

    Justice Nyako ordered that each of the four defendants be paid N50,000 by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) for the inconveniences they suffered as a result of the lead counsel, Shuaib Labaran’s absence in court.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the four defendants are Bright Chimezie, Chidiebere Onwudike, Benjamin Maduagwu and David Nwaurusi said to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

    They are being tried alongside Mr Kanu, leader of the IPOB.

    The judge, who was unhappy the way the trial was truncated, ordered that the N200, 000 must be paid to the defendants before the next adjourned date.

    She then fixed March 17 for trial continuation.
    Earlier at the resumed trial, there was no legal representation for the Federal Government at the time the matter was called.

    However, as the Nyako was about to take adjournment, an officer from the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs Adewumi Aluko, came in and apologised that the lead counsel travelled out of the country.

    She informed that though two witnesses were in court, she would not want to proceed in the absence of the lead counsel and sought for an adjournment.

    The defendants, through their lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, complained bitterly the hardships suffered to raise funds for their transportation to Abuja.

    The judge, who was unhappy over development, advised the prosecution to be more serious in the trial.

    Nyako also counselled the defence lawyers to stop using frivolous applications to delay the trial which started since 2015.

    She then fixed March 17 for resumption of the trial.

    NAN reports that the court had, on June 25, 2018, admitted the four defendants to bail.

    They are facing trial on three-count charge bothering on treasonable felony.

    Earlier, the defendants were being tried alongside Kanu for alleged treason, but his (Kanu’s) absence in previous court sittings had prompted the Federal Government to file separate charges against them.

    Nyako had acceded to a bail application filed by their lawyer on the grounds of their health condition and prolonged stay in detention.

    The judge granted each of them bail of N10 million and ordered them to produce two sureties in like sum.

    She also barred them from granting any interview to the press or appearing in a public gathering, similar to the conditions given to Kanu when he was granted bail.

    In May 2017, Chimezie was granted bail by the Federal High Court in Uyo but he had remained in the custody of the Department of State Service (DSS) since then.

    Condemning his continued detention, the judge noted the four defendants had spent an average of three years in custody when the penalty for their alleged offences ranges from five to seven years.

    As part of their bail conditions, she also ordered the four of them to report to the commissioner of police in their respective states every two weeks.

  • Google loses appeal over €2.4bn EU competition fine

    Google loses appeal over €2.4bn EU competition fine

    The EU General Court on Wednesday upheld on a 2.4-billion-euro (2.8-billion-dollar) European Commission competition fine from 2017 against Google for abusing its market dominance by promoting its own shopping service.

    Dismissing the U.S. tech giant’s appeal, the European Union’s second highest court backed the conclusions drawn by the EU executive branch.

    The Luxembourg-based judges found Google had favoured “its own comparison shopping service over competing services,’’ an official court press release stated.

    Wednesday’s ruling was a boost for EU ambitions to rein in Google’s market dominance and can still be challenged at the bloc’s highest court, the European Court of Justice.

    Google said the case related to “a very specific set of facts’’ and that it had complied with the commission decision in 2017, changing the way its service worked.

    It was now reviewing the EU General Court’s verdict, Google spokesperson Emily Clarke said.

    The commission began formally probing Google Shopping in 2010, following a number of complaints by European and U.S. competitors that the company had breached EU antitrust rules.

    After years of investigation, the commission concluded in 2017 that Google had systematically given preferential placement to its own shopping service and demoted rivals in search results.

    The fine was the first of three anti-trust penalties slapped on Google by the commission in recent years, totalling more than 8 billion euros.

    The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) welcomed the new ruling.

    BEUC director Monique Goyens said “Google’s misleading and unfair practices harmed millions of European consumers by ensuring that rival comparison shopping services were virtually invisible.’’

    The new legal victory brings fresh impetus to European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager’s attempts to regulate Google’s activities in the EU single market.

    The EU has a touchy relationship with the U.S. dominated global technology industry.

    The bloc’s executive has pushed back against what it views as data privacy violations, anti-competitive practices and sweetheart tax deals.

    Vestager in particular has gone after Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple, opening a string of investigations in recent years.

    A number of these have fallen flat when challenged in EU courts.

    In 2020, the EU General Court threw out a 13-billion-euro tax bill handed to Apple. Wednesday’s decision is therefore likely a relief for Vestager.

  • Google faces a fine of 20% of Russian revenue this month

    Google faces a fine of 20% of Russian revenue this month

    Russia said on Tuesday it would fine U.S. tech giant, Google, a percentage of its annual Russian turnover for repeatedly failing to delete content deemed illegal.

    This is Moscow’s strongest effort yet to rein in foreign tech firms.

    The communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, said Google had failed to pay 32.5 million roubles ($458,100) in penalties levied so far this year and that it would now seek a fine of between five and 20 per cent of Google’s Russian turnover.

    The turnover could reach as much as $240 million, a significant increase.

    Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Russia has ramped up pressure on foreign tech companies as it seeks to assert greater control over the internet in the country.

    The action is slowing down the speed of Twitter since March and routinely fining others for content violations.

    Opposition activists have accused Alphabet’s Google and Apple of caving to Kremlin pressure after they removed an anti-government tactical voting app from their stores.

    Roskomnadzor, earlier in October, said it would ask a court to impose a turnover fine on social media firm, Facebook, citing legislation signed by President Vladimir Putin in December 2020.

    “A similar case will be put together in October against Google,’’ Roskomnadzor said in emailed comments to Reuters on Tuesday, noting that the company also owned video-hosting site YouTube.

    The SPARK business database showed that Google’s turnover in Russia in 2020 was 85.5 billion roubles.

    A five to 20 per cent fine would amount to between 4.3 and 17.1 billion roubles.

    Google is currently fighting a court ruling demanding it unblocks the YouTube account of a Russian businessman or faces a compounding fine on its overall turnover that would double every week and force Google out of business within months if paid.

  • Court upholds FRSC’s power to fine motorists without trial

    Court upholds FRSC’s power to fine motorists without trial

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has upheld the powers of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) to fine motorists for alleged traffic offences without first prosecuting them in a court of law.

    Justice Taiwo Taiwo gave the decision on August 27, 2021, while dismissing a suit by a motorist, Dr Mohammed Suleiman, seeking N10 Million as damages from the FRSC for the detention of his car.

    Suleiman filed the suit following the detention of his car, for, among others, his making a call in his car while driving.

    He sought nine reliefs, including a declaration that a fair hearing was not achieved by the FRSC issuing a ticket to him to pay a fine, since the defendants were the complainants, prosecutors and the judge in their cause and consequently the fine he paid was unlawful.

    He further sought a declaration that the defendants, not being courts of law, lacked the competence to find people guilty of offences.

    In another instance, he prayed for a declaration that the defendants lacked the competence to detain his Toyota Picnic car, for the fulfilment of the condition of proving his innocence of the violation of any of the provisions of the FRSC Act, 2010 and or the Federal Road Safety Rules, 2012.

    The plaintiff also asked the court to strike out Rules 174(1) and (2), 176, 188(1) and (2), 189(2), 211(4) 213(2), 218, 219 and 220 of the FRSC regulation 2012.

    In dismissing the claims for want of merit, Justice Taiwo Taiwo held that contrary to the plaintiff’s claim, the practice whereby road marshals issue tickets to motorists on allegation of the commission of offences under the National Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 and demand ‘offenders’ to pay a fine, did not offend section 6(6) of the Constitution, Rules 166 and 220 of the National Road Traffic Regulations.

    He noted that the matter had already been settled by Tijani Abubakar JCA (as he then was) at the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division in the 2019 case of Olookan v FRSC.

    Justice Taiwo also noted that Suleiman did not deny making a call in his car but that his phone was connected to his car.

    He said: “It is borne out of the facts presented by both parties before the court that the Plaintiff was issued with a Notice of Offence and that the plaintiff actually paid the fine. I see no wrong done to the plaintiff who elected to pay the fine rather than being prosecuted.

    “The Court of Appeal, Lagos Division has decided this issue is similar to the complaint of the plaintiff herein in the case of Olookan v FRSC (2019).

    “Permit me to reproduce the decision of Lord Tijani Abubakar JCA (as he then was), which to my mind has laid to rest the complaint of the plaintiff as to payment of the fine:

    ‘I do not think I need to add any of my reasoning to the decision of my Lord Tijani Abubakar JCA (as he then was) which has decided the issues as to the payment of the fine which constitutes a waiver by the plaintiff to so do in order not to be charged to court.

    “It is my conclusion therefore that all the issues for determination ought to and are hereby resolved against the plaintiff herein from my analysis of the issues vis a vis the law and decided cases cited in this judgement.

    “Therefore, all the reliefs being sought are hereby refused whether in the main or consequentially.

    “On the release of the vehicle of the plaintiff, and his claim for general and exemplary damages in the sum of N10,000,000, his entitlement to this claim has not been proved by the plaintiff.

    “All he stated was that his vehicle was detained illegally from the 4th of July 2019 till the time the case was filed. It is not on record as to when the vehicle was released to him, especially after the payment of the fine. The law is clear as to when the 1st defendant must release the vehicle lawfully impounded. It is trite law that the court cannot make up a case for any of the parties before it and the court is also not a Father Christmas to give unto anyone as it pleases.

    “In concluding this judgment I think it proper to state that no reasonable court of law will set aside a law that is justiciable in a democratic society like the Regulations made pursuant to the Act establishing the 1st and 2nd defendants.

    “These regulations are made in the interest of defence of public safety, public order and public morality. All hands must be on deck to ensure that the highways are safe for all motorists, road users and all the members of the public.

    “Therefore, I find no merit in the suit filed by the Plaintiff. Same is accordingly dismissed. This is the judgement of the court.”

  • 10 pirates bag 12 years jail term, N1m fine each for hijacking Chinese ship

    10 pirates bag 12 years jail term, N1m fine each for hijacking Chinese ship

    A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has sentenced 10 pirates to twelve years imprisonment each for hijacking a Chinese fishing vessel, FV Hai Lu Feng II, in May 2020.

    Justice Ayokunle Faji who said their actions affect the well-being of all Nigerians also ordered each pirate to pay a fine of N1million each.

    Delivering his judgment on Friday, Justice Faji said the Federal Government proved beyond reasonable doubt that the pirates did hijack the vessel, FV Hai Lu Feng II, belonging to Haina Fishing Company.

    The judge held: “I agree with the prosecution counsel, Labaran Magaji that the prosecution has proved the essential ingredients of the offence committed by each of the defendants; the defendants conspired to commit the illegal act.

    “All the defendants acted in hijacking the ship to achieve their common goal.

    “Consequently I find each of the defendants guilty as charged on all the counts.

    “Each defendant is hereby sentenced to 12 years imprisonment.

    “In addition, the defendants should pay a fine of N1million each.

    “The offence committed by the defendants affects the wellbeing of Nigerians and our image in the diaspora.

    “The naira sum, dollars, and various currencies recovered from the defendants by the Nigerian Navy are hereby forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.”

    The judge convicted each of the defendants on all 4 counts made against them.

    The convicts said to be residents in Nigeria, are Frank Abaka, Jude Ebaragha, Shina Alolo, Joshua Iwiki, David Akinseye, Ahmed Toyin, Shobajo Saheed, Adekole Philip, Matthew Masi, and Bright Agbedeyi.

    They were arraigned by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) on July 13, 2020, on a four-count charge bordering on the hijacking of the vessel in international waters off the coast of Cote D’Ivoire.

    They pleaded not guilty and were remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Navy, following which trial commenced.

    In the course of the trial, the government told the court that the defendants “while armed with weapons, committed an illegal act of violence against the crew on board FV Hai Lu Feng II belonging to Haina Fishing Company by putting them in fear in order to take control of the vessel.”

    The government also said their action violated Section 3 of the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences Act, 2019, punishable under Section 2 of the same Act, and urged the court to use the case to send a strong message to pirates that Nigeria would not condone such criminal activities which had huge implications for the country.

  • European Commission fines three banks €28.5m for breaking the bloc’s antitrust rules

    European Commission fines three banks €28.5m for breaking the bloc’s antitrust rules

    The European Commission has fined three banks, a total of 28.5 million euros (34.4 million dollars) for breaking the bloc’s antitrust rules.

    The affected banks include Merrill Lynch of the U.S., France’s Credit Agricole, and Switzerland’s Credit Suisse.

    Deutsche Bank was not fined because it revealed the existence of the bond-trading cartel, the EU executive branch said in a Wednesday press release announcing the move.

    The rule-breaking relates to the secondary trading market within the European Economic Area of Supra-sovereign, Sovereign, and Agency (SSA) bonds in U.S. dollars within the European Economic Area.

    A group of traders at the four competing investment banks colluded on “trading strategies, exchanged sensitive pricing information and coordinated on prices,” European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in the same press release.

    This behavior restricted competition in a market in “which investment and pension funds regularly buy and sell bonds on behalf of their investors and pensioners,’’ she said, adding that the commission would not tolerate such collusive behaviour.

    When approached for comment, Credit Suisse said it still believes the individual former employee criticised by the EU executive had not committed any anti-competitive behaviour.

    Credit Suisse intends to appeal the decision in European courts.

  • ​Man Utd fined by UEFA over ‘improper conduct’

    ​Man Utd fined by UEFA over ‘improper conduct’

    Manchester United have been fined €7,000 by UEFA due to “improper conduct” during their Europa League quarter final first leg clash against Granada.

    The Red Devils won the game 2-0 in Spain, but picked up five yellow cards during the clash.

    Luke Shaw, Scott McTominay, Paul Pogba, Harry Maguire, and Nemanja Matic all got yellows during the game.

    UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body decided on the fine, which United must pay within 90 days.

    “Losing three players is not a good position to be in,” Solskjaer said after the first leg clash.

    “I don’t think we deserved those five yellow cards or however many we got, but that’s happened.”