Peter Okoye Admits Receiving $800,000 in SACEM Royalties, Says Jude Got Nothing
Singer Peter Okoye has admitted receiving over $800,000 in royalties from SACEM for P-Square’s musical works, but told a Lagos court that he did not give his elder brother, Jude Okoye, any share of the money.
Peter Okoye Admits Receiving $800,000 in SACEM Royalties, Says Jude Got Nothing
Peter made the disclosure on Monday while testifying virtually before Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court in Lagos, during cross-examination by Jude’s lawyer, Clement Onwuewunor, SAN.
Jude and his company, Northside Music Limited, are facing a seven-count charge over alleged N1.3 billion and $1 million fraud brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
During the hearing, Peter was questioned about his earlier claim that Jude took over three months to send P-Square’s backend royalty records to him when he requested them in 2022.
When Jude’s counsel told him that he requested the records on October 16, 2022, and that Jude obtained and sent them to him six days later, on October 22, Peter disagreed and insisted that he had made the request earlier in 2022. However, when asked to produce a text message, email, or document showing that he had made the request before October 16, 2022, Peter admitted, “No. I don’t have any and I can’t recall”.
Peter confirmed that he received the royalty report sent by Jude and acknowledged that it covered royalties from 2016 through 2022, including records relating to Lex Records.
He explained that the report was requested because some individuals were interested in buying the P-Square music catalogue. He also admitted that Jude had forwarded the account information to him in 2022 and that the EFCC was aware that the report had been sent to him.
However, Peter disputed Jude’s entitlement to royalties paid through SACEM, maintaining that the payments belonged to him and his twin brother, Paul.
When questioned that the SACEM contract was signed by Jude and not by Peter or Paul, Peter maintained that it was signed by “the team,” insisting that Jude was not part of the team. He also admitted that the 10 songs for which SACEM paid royalties were P-Square songs.
When confronted with the claim that he had received approximately $800,000 from SACEM between 2016 and 2026, he admitted receiving the money but said nothing was given to his brother because the money was for the artists. Asked whether he informed Jude about the payments, Peter answered, “No, the money was for the artists.” When asked whether Jude was part of P-Square, Peter replied, “Jude is not part of P-Square.” The case has been adjourned to December 8 and 9, 2026, for further hearing.
Source: TrendyBeatz
