Godsent Ogbebor
Court Jails Two IPPIS Staff for Diverting Salaries
A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced two officials of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) to three years in prison for diverting salaries of former staff into personal accounts.
Justice Ibrahim Ahmad Kala delivered the judgment on Thursday after the duo, Shola Onasanya, a Chief Accountant, and Halimat Olalere, a Principal Executive Officer of Accounts at the IPPIS payroll desk of the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Meta, pleaded guilty to an amended two-count charge filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The court, however, allowed each convict the option of paying a fine of N100,000 under a plea bargain arrangement reached with the prosecution. Justice Kala also ordered the immediate closure of the bank accounts used in the fraud.
Read also: ASUU Suspends Lectures Nationwide Over June Salary Arrears
The ICPC told the court that between January and December 2023, the defendants failed to stop the payment of salaries to staff who had exited service and instead diverted the funds. Investigations revealed that Olalere substituted her personal bank accounts for those of the departed workers, while Onasanya instructed her to transfer the salaries into his account.
The transactions, amounting to N1.17 million, were said to have been shared between them. The offences contravened the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Before sentencing, the prosecutor, Enosa Omoghibo, urged the court to adopt the plea bargain agreement, which was supported by facts of the case and a verifying affidavit.
Justice Kala, in his ruling, convicted the defendants as charged and entered the plea bargain as the final judgment.