The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arraigned a Federal Ministry of Water Resources employee, Mr. Oseni Adeolu Olayinka, for allegedly defrauding the government by secretly adding his wife and son to the ministry’s payroll system.
Olayinka appeared before Justice Obiora Egwuatu on Thursday at the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, to face three counts of money laundering charges.
According to the ICPC, Olayinka illicitly received millions of naira by registering his family members on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) portal between 2023 and 2024. The prosecution alleges he received salaries through his wife’s and son’s accounts during this period.
One charge states that Olayinka indirectly received N2,843,524.41 through his wife’s Stanbic IBTC Bank account, funds that prosecutors say he should have known were proceeds of unlawful activity. This action allegedly violates Section 18 of the Money Laundering Act of 2022.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to all charges. His counsel, Paul Asimiakeokha, successfully secured bail, which was set at N5 million. The bail conditions require a surety who must be a federal civil servant of at least grade level 12 and own property in Abuja.
Justice Egwuatu ordered that the surety provide employment and promotion letters, with required property verification. The trial is scheduled to begin on April 29.
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