Two civil servants with the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System have pleaded guilty to diverting salaries belonging to former staff members of the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Meta, Lagos.
The officials, a Chief Accountant, Shola Onasanya, and a Principal Executive Officer, Halimat Olalere, were arraigned on Wednesday before the Federal High Court in Lagos by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
Plea bargain deal
The ICPC told the court that the defendants, who were in charge of the IPPIS Payroll Desk Office at the FMC, failed to halt salaries totalling N1.17m which continued to be paid to former employees. The commission alleged that the defendants diverted the money for personal use, an offence said to be contrary to Section 18(2)(d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2022.
When the matter was called, the prosecution counsel, Enosa Omoghibo, informed Justice Ibrahim Kala that the defendants had entered into a plea bargain agreement with the commission. He explained that an amended charge had been filed on September 4.
But the judge reminded him that he ought to have sought the court’s leave before substituting the earlier charge. Omoghibo thereafter applied for the substitution, which was not opposed by the defence.
Court adjourns
After the fresh charges were read, the defendants pleaded guilty. The prosecutor urged the court to adopt the plea bargain in line with Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
Justice Kala, however, held that under Section 274 of the ACJA, the court could not convict solely on a guilty plea without evidence. He stressed that the prosecution must present proof of the alleged crime before the court could proceed.
Following this, the matter was adjourned till September 18 for a review of the facts.
ICPC’s claim
The anti-graft agency alleged that between January and December 2023, Onasanya instructed Olalere to alter account details so that salaries meant for former FMC staff could continue to be paid into her account.
Olalere was said to have transferred the funds to Onasanya, helping him to convert the total sum of N1.17m, described as proceeds of corruption.
