IPPIS Payroll Officers Plead Guilty to Diverting Salaries of Exited Workers

Wale Igbintade

Justice Ibrahim Kala of the Federal High Court, Lagos, has fixed September 18 for a review of facts in the case of two staff of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) who admitted to diverting salaries of exited workers totaling N1.17 million.

The defendants, Shola Onasanya, a Chief Accountant, and Halimat Olalere, a Principal Executive Officer of Accounts, are attached to the IPPIS Payroll Desk Office of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Ebute Meta, Lagos.

They were arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on an amended two-count charge bordering on corruption and unlawful conversion of public funds.

During the proceedings, ICPC prosecutor Enosa Omoghibo informed the court that the defendants had entered into a plea bargain agreement filed on September 4.

He applied for the amended charge to be read to them, after seeking the court’s leave to substitute the earlier charge.

The defendants pleaded guilty to both counts.

Relying on Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, Omoghibo prayed the court to adopt the plea bargain agreement and enter it as judgment.

Justice Kala, however, noted that the court could not convict solely on their guilty pleas without some evidence from the prosecution, citing Section 274 of the ACJA.

“The prosecution still has the burden of proof, even though the defendants’ guilty pleas have lightened that burden,” the judge held.

Following the court’s observations, defence counsel applied for an adjournment to enable the prosecution present evidence to support the guilty plea.

The case was subsequently adjourned to September 18 for review of facts.

According to the charge, the defendants allegedly failed to stop the salaries of some FMC staff who had left the service between January and December 2023.

The funds were allegedly paid into Olalere’s account, from which she transferred them to Onasanya’s account for personal use, in violation of Section 18(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2022.