Nigerian Couple and Accomplice Convicted Over £279,000 Hospital Equipment Fr@ud in UK

Nigerian Couple and Accomplice Convicted Over £279,000 Hospital Equipment Fraud in UK

A Nigerian husband and wife, alongside an accomplice, have been convicted in the United Kingdom over a £279,000 fraud scheme that involved stealing medical supplies from the National Health Service (NHS) and selling them back to the same hospital trust.

The main defendant, Emmanuel Nbanga, 45, of Solihull, was found guilty at Worcester Crown Court of fraud by ab¥se of position and fraudulent trading after a jury trial.

According to the NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA), Nbanga worked as a materials management assistant at Alexandra Hospital, Redditch, under the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

Between October 2016 and September 2019, he stole medical equipment from operating theatre stock rooms and passed the items to Solomon Adeyemi, 57, director of Ultimate Medical (UK) Ltd (UML), based in Tyseley, Birmingham.

Prosecutors said UML then sold the stolen equipment back to the same NHS trust, with some items allegedly being resold three or four times, resulting in losses of about £279,000.

The fraud came to light after the trust launched a tender process and noticed UML was offering unusually low prices. Further checks revealed that identification numbers on newly delivered medical supplies matched items the trust had previously purchased.

Investigators also discovered that money paid by the trust into UML’s account was transferred to Lawyis Medical UK Ltd, a shell company established by Remilekun Olusesi, 40, Nbanga’s wife.

She was subsequently convicted of money laundering through the acquisition, retention, use or control of criminal property. Adeyemi was also found guilty of fraudulent trading.

Reacting to the convictions, NHSCFA investigator Dave Horsley described the case as particularly disturbing because the stolen supplies were meant for patient operations.