One of the most well-known LGBTQ celebrities in Nigeria, Bobrisky, a transgender woman, was found guilty of tossing banknotes into the air during a movie premiere and was given a six-month prison sentence by a judge on Friday.
While "spraying" bank notes during celebrations is common at weddings and parties in Nigeria, it is illegal because it harms the naira, the country's currency.
According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, or EFCC, the anti-corruption organization that handled the case, a federal judge in Lagos sentenced Idris Okuneye to six months in prison for the mutilation of naira notes.
"The act of mutilating the Naira notes has become a menace, which has continued to damage the image of the country," Justice Awogboro said, according to the EFCC statement.
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"Enough of people mutilating and tampering with our currencies. It has to stop."
Bobrisky's attorneys could not be reached for comment right away.
However, Bobrisky claimed in its statement to be ignorant of the law prohibiting spraying and requested a second opportunity, according to the EFCC.
According to the central bank, "any form of defacement of the currency is a form of ridicule on the nation" and is subject to fines or jail time.
Rights organizations claim that in Nigeria, where homosexuality carries a 10–14 year prison sentence, police frequently harass and intimidate members of the LGBTQ community.
The EFCC claimed that a "video of spraying and flaunting wads of new Naira notes" at a movie premiere in Lagos served as the basis for its investigation.
After being caught on camera stepping on and spray-painting banknotes, Nigerian actress Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin was given a six-month prison sentence in February.
