Nigerian actress Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin commonly known as Simi Gold was sentenced to six months imprisonment for tampering with the Nigerian currency.
The actress was arrested on 1st/ February/ 2023 after a video clip showing her spraying and stepping on newly issued naira notes at a wedding in Lekki, Lagos State, on 28th / January/ 2023 went viral on social media platforms.
The Incident happened at a time when there was a severe scarcity of Naira notes following the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s withdrawal of old 200, 500 and 1000 Naira notes from circulation and replacement of the affected currency notes with newly designed versions which were hard to come by at the time.
According to the country's anti-fraud agency “Economic and Financial Crimes Commission” (EFCC), The Nollywood star was filmed with 100,000-naira ($83; £66) worth of notes .
Omoseyin was first arraigned on 13th/ February/ 2023 by the EFCC on two counts accusing her of violating provisions of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Act 2007 on the handling of Naira notes.
She had pleaded “not guilty” and was subsequently granted bail on 15th/February /2023.
But at the resumed hearing on Thursday 1st/February /2024 ,the star changed her “not guilty” plea to “guilty”, following her review of the evidence lined up against her.
The trial judge, Chukwujekwu Aneke, sentenced her to six months’ imprisonment but with an option of N300,000 fine, according to a statement by Dele Oyewale, the Head, Media & Publicity (EFCC), the prosecuting agency.
Through her lawyer, the actress pleaded for leniency, saying she was a first-time offender and a mother of one. She further asked for a non-custodial sentence.
