April 23, (THEWILL) – Popular crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, aka Bobrisky, has filed a notice of appeal challenging the six-month maximum sentence given to him by a Federal High Court in Lagos.
The crossdresser was sentenced on April 12 by Abimbola Awogboro, the presiding judge, for abusing the naira. Awogboro, in her verdict, also ruled that the sentence is without the option of a fine. The judge held that the jail term commenced on March 24, the day of his arrest.
But on Monday, Bimbo Kusanu, the counsel to Bobrisky, filed a notice of appeal, praying the Court of Appeal to set aside the maximum sentence.
Kusanu is asking the court to replace the sentence with an option of N50,000 fine on each count.
The counsel stated in the notice of appeal that the trial court imposed the maximum sentence on the appellant, who had no previous criminal record of conviction. He said there were options to impose a lesser sentence by the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
The lawyer averred that the sentence imposed by the trial court against the appellant was punitive and contrary to the mandatory provisions of the ACJA. He said the court did not consider the positive antecedent of the appellant, who did not waste the time of the court by pleading guilty to the charge.
Kusanu said the appellant honoured the respondent’s invitation on the first invitation.
He said the court failed to exercise its discretion judiciously and judicially in sentencing the appellant. Bobrisky’s lawyer said such an act had occasioned a miscarriage of justice against the appellant.
Bobrisky was arrested and arraigned on a six-count charge by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
While four of the charges were related to naira abuse, the remaining two counts involved alleged money laundering.
He, however, pleaded guilty to the first four counts bordering on naira abuse.
The presiding judge struck out counts five and six following the request of the EFCC’s counsel.
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