The Akwa Ibom governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Bassey Albert, has begun his 42 years at Ikot Ekpene Correctional Centre for corruption.
This follows the verdict of Federal High Court in Uyo, on Thursday, December 1, sentencing Mr Albert who was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Delivering judgement, Justice Agatha Okeke who presided over the case found the Senator guilty in all the charges levelled against him.
An eye witness in the correctional centre told Straightnews that he saw when the Senator was brought in and the prison officials removed his clothes and dressed him with the prisoner’s uniform.
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Mr Albert, a serving senator representing Akwa Ibom North East District, was accused of receiving bribes of six vehicles worth N204 million from an oil marketer, Olajidee Omokore, during his (Albert’s) tenure (2010–2014) as the state Commissioner for Finance in Akwa Ibom State.
The convicted senator was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, the ruling party in the state, 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.
Though his lawyer is yet to apply for stay of execution and appeal against the judgement, the Senator had to be sent to the centre because it was a criminal case.
Investigations revealed that the said vehicles were proceeds of crime and that he committed the offence while he served as Commissioner for Finance, Akwa Ibom State and Chairman of Akwa Ibom State Inter-Ministerial Direct Labour Coordinating Committee, in December 2012.
The offence is said to have contravened Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.
