IPPIS Accountants Admit Diverting Former FMC Staff Salaries

Two staff members of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) have pleaded guilty to diverting the salaries of former employees at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Ebute Meta, Lagos.

The defendants, Shola Onasanya, a chief accountant, and Halimat Olalere, a principal executive officer of accounts, both worked at the IPPIS Payroll Desk Office in the FMC.

They were arraigned before Justice Ibrahim Kala of the Federal High Court in Lagos by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on an amended two-count charge of corruption.

According to the charge, the offences occurred between January and December 2023. The defendants allegedly failed to stop the payment of salaries to staff who had exited the FMC, instead diverting the funds into personal accounts.

The ICPC stated that Olalere had substituted her account details in the payroll system, allowing the salaries of departed staff to continue being paid into her account.

Onasanya, the first defendant, was alleged to have instructed Olalere to transfer the funds, totalling N1.17m, into his own account for personal use.

The offences contravene Section 18(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2022.

At the hearing on Wednesday, the prosecution, led by ICPC Assistant Director Enosa Omoghibo, informed the court that the defendants had entered a plea bargain agreement.

Following this, an amended charge was filed, and the court was asked to allow its substitution for the initial charge.

Justice Kala granted the request after due procedure was followed, and the charges were read to the defendants, who pleaded guilty.

However, the court declined to proceed directly to a conviction, citing Section 274 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.

Justice Kala emphasised that the defendants’ guilty pleas, though significant, did not eliminate the prosecution’s duty to present evidence to support the charge.

He ruled that without the necessary evidence being presented, the court could not safely enter a conviction, regardless of the guilty pleas.

The judge added that while the pleas had lightened the burden of proof on the prosecution, it had not removed it entirely.

Following the court’s position, the defence applied for an adjournment to enable a proper review of facts, which the court granted.

The matter was adjourned to September 18 for review.