PDP treating me like a plague over looters’ list – Dokpesi

The Chairman of DAAR Communications Plc, Chief Raymond Dopkesi, on Tuesday lamented that he has been abandoned by everyone especially those in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after his name appeared on the looters’ list released by the Federal Government last year.

He disclosed this at the FCT High Court, Apo, while he was being cross-examined by the defendants’ counsel in a suit he filed before Justice Olukayode Adeniyi, seeking N5 billion damages from Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN).

Dokpesi, who dragged the ministers to the court, claimed they defamed his character by including his name on the treasury looters’ list.

According to him, Mohammed had on March 30, 2018 portrayed him as “a corrupt, crooked person, dishonest, and thief” at a press conference in Abuja.

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He demanded the sum of N5 billion as damages and urged the court to order the defendants to publish a full retraction and apology to him in all major electronic and print media outlets in country.

“The minister (Lai Mohammed) said I was a looter. He clearly stated in his statement that he is releasing the list of looters.

“The word ‘alleged’ was never used in his statement. I am in the media; I am a media proprietor.”

Though he agreed with the court that he was facing trial for allegedly collecting N2.1 billion from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Dokpesi declared that he had not been found guilty by any court.

“What is in the public domain is the fact that N2.1 billion was paid to an institution called Daar Investment and Holding Company Limited, operators of Africa Independent Television and Ray Power National Network FM. But not that I, Raymond Dokpesi looted the treasury,” he said.

He said because of his inclusion in the treasury looters’ list, he no longer enjoyed the goodwill of his party, the PDP.

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