By Sandra Umeh
A Federal High Court Lagos, on Wednesday, fixed Sept. 18, for review of facts in a charge against two staffers of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), over alleged corruption.
The defendants, Shola Onasanya, a Chief Accountant and Halimat Olalere, a Principal Executive Officer of accounts are both staffers of the IPPIS Payroll Desk Office at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Ebute Meta, Lagos.
They were dragged before Justice Ibrahim Kala, by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), on an amended two-count charge bordering on diverting salaries of workers who had exited the FMC.
When the case was called on Wednesday, the prosecutor, Mr Enosa Omoghibo, an Assistant Director of the ICPC, informed the court of a plea bargain agreement by the defendants.
He told the court that following the plea bargain agreement filed on Sept. 4, the prosecution had consequently, filed an amended charge and applied that same be read to the defendants.
The court, however, informed the prosecutor, that the permission of the court ought to be first sought before the amended charge was introduced.
Taking hints from the court, Omoghibo then sought leave of court for the initial charge to be substituted with the amended charge and that the amended charge be read to the defendants.
There was no objection from defence counsel.
The defendants, respectively, pleaded guilty to the charge.
Following their guilty pleas, the prosecutor, moved an application citing the provisions of section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, for the agreement to be entered.
He prayed the court that the terms of the plea bargain agreement which was supported by a statement of facts and verifying affidavit, be entered as judgement in the case.
Again, Justice Kala drew the attention of prosecuting counsel, to the provisions of section 274 of the ACJA, adding that the court cannot safely proceed to convict the defendants, without an iota of evidence adduced before the court.
The court further hinted that though the defendants had pleaded guilty, their guilty pleas alone without evidence from the prosecution, cannot safely secure a conviction.
Kala held that the prosecution still had the burden of proof to discharge, adding that the guilty pleas by the defendants had only lightened this burden.
Consequently, the defence counsel applied for an adjournment to enable him to the needful and the court adjourned the case until Sept. 18, for a review of facts.
According to the charge, the defendants were alleged to have committed the offence between January and December 2023 at the FMC in Ebute Meta, Lagos.
They were said to have converted the proceed to their personal use, the total sum of N1.17 million, by failing to take necessary steps as payroll desk officers, to stop the salaries of some staffers who had exited the service.
The prosecution told the court that the defendants had substituted the account of Olalere (second defendant), into which the salaries of the former staffers were continuously paid.
The first defendant (Onasanya) was said to have directed Olalere, to transfer the said salaries of the former workers received, into his own account.
According to the prosecutor, the second defendant aided the first defendant to convert to his personal use, the total sum of N1.17 million being proceeds of corruption.
The offence contravenes the provisions of Section 18(2)(d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2022.
