The Federal High Court Jos Division has sentenced a former Minister of Water Resources, Sarah Ochekpe as well as Raymond Dabo and Evangelist Leo Sunday Jitung to three-month imprisonment each.
The trio had been standing trial for four years on charges bordering on conspiracy and money laundering.
However, the convicts can stay out of prison as the sentence has an option of a fine of one million naira.
They were accused of receiving the sum of N450million from Fidelity Bank Plc through cash and wire transfer by some oil companies and former Petroleum Resources Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, to influence the outcome of the 2015 presidential election.
Investigation showed that, on March 26, 2015, the sum of N450million was withdrawn from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, by Fidelity Bank Plc Jos main branch and it was handed over to the defendants in cash after they signed for collection.
Though the defendants claimed that they handed over the money to late Senator Gyang Pwajok, the Plateau State PDP Governorship candidate in 2015, they, however, failed to provide any evidence to support the claim.
