IPPIS Officials Admit Diverting N1.17m Salaries of Ex-FMC Staff in Lagos

Two staff members of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) have admitted to diverting salaries belonging to former employees of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Ebute Meta, Lagos. The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) arraigned Chief Accountant Shola Onasanya and Principal Executive Officer Halimat Olalere before the Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday, where both pleaded guilty to a two-count charge of corruption after entering a plea bargain agreement.

According to the ICPC, the defendants unlawfully converted N1.17 million by failing to stop the salaries of ex-staff members between January and December 2023. The commission alleged that Olalere’s account was altered to continue receiving the payments, which were later transferred on Onasanya’s instruction. The offence, the ICPC stated, violates Section 18(2)(d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2022.

When the matter was called, prosecution counsel Enosa Omoghibo informed Justice Ibrahim Kala that an amended charge had been filed on September 4 under the plea bargain arrangement. The judge reminded the prosecution that permission ought to have been sought before filing the amended charge, after which Omoghibo applied formally for the substitution, a request that was not opposed by the defence.

The defendants pleaded guilty to the amended charges. Relying on Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, the prosecutor urged the court to adopt the plea bargain agreement as judgment. Justice Kala, however, noted that under Section 274 of the ACJA, the court could not convict without supporting evidence, despite the guilty pleas. He granted the prosecution’s request for adjournment to prepare the necessary documentation and adjourned the matter to September 18 for a review of facts.

The ICPC maintained that Onasanya directed the diversion of the funds while Olalere assisted in the conversion of the N1.17 million, describing the sum as proceeds of corruption.