A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced two staff members of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) to three years in prison for corruption-related offences.
The convicts, Shola Onasanya, Chief Accountant, and Halimat Olalere, Principal Executive Officer of Accounts at the IPPIS Payroll Desk of Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Ebute-Meta, Lagos, were found guilty of diverting salaries meant for former staffers to their personal accounts.
Justice Ibrahim Ahmad Kala delivered the verdict following a plea bargain between the convicts, their lawyers, and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC). The court also imposed a fine option of N100,000 each and ordered that the bank accounts used in the fraudulent transactions be closed immediately.
The criminal case arose from actions between January and December 2023, during which the convicts were alleged to have misappropriated N1.17 million.
According to the ICPC, Onasanya instructed Olalere to substitute her bank account in place of the intended accounts for former staffers, allowing him to transfer the salaries into his personal UBA account. Olalere reportedly assisted in this scheme, facilitating the unlawful transfers.
The offences were prosecuted under the Money Laundering (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022, specifically Sections 18(2)(b)(d) and 21(a), which criminalize converting funds derived from corruption for personal use.
Prior to the judgment, the ICPC prosecutor, Mr. Enosa Omoghibo, informed the court of the plea bargain, leading to the filing of an amended two-count charge against the defendants. Following their guilty pleas, the court entered the plea agreement terms as the official judgment, in line with Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.
The court’s ruling underscores the consequences of misusing public funds and serves as a warning against corruption within federal payroll systems.
