UK Court Finds Nigerian Couple, Businessman Guilty in £279,000 NHS Fraud

A Sierra Leonean national, Emmanuel Nbanga, alongside his Nigerian wife, Remilekun Olusesi, and a Nigerian businessman, Solomon Adeyemi, have been convicted in the United Kingdom for a scheme that defrauded the National Health Service (NHS) of £279,000. The trio was found guilty of selling medical equipment stolen from the NHS back to the same health service, often on multiple occasions.

Nbanga, 45, who originated from Sierra Leone but was raised in Nigeria before relocating to the UK, was a former materials management assistant at the Alexandra Hospital, Redditch, under the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. According to the NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA), Nbanga systematically stole medical supplies from operating theatre stock rooms at the hospital between October 2016 and September 2019. These stolen items were then passed to Adeyemi, 57, a Birmingham-based businessman who directed Ultimate Medical (UK) Ltd (UML) in Tyseley, Birmingham. UML subsequently resold the very same supplies back to the NHS Trust, leading the trust to repurchase its own stolen inventory, sometimes up to four times.

Following a trial at Worcester Crown Court, Nbanga was convicted last Tuesday of fraud by abuse of position and fraudulent trading. His wife, Olusesi, 40, of Skye Close, Smith's Wood, Solihull, was found guilty of money laundering, specifically through the acquisition, retention, use, or control of criminal property. Adeyemi, 57, of Cole Hall Lane, Birmingham, also faced conviction for fraudulent trading.

Dave Horsley of the NHSCFA expressed shock over the case, highlighting that the stolen stock was “intended for operations on patients.”

The fraud began to unravel when the trust initiated a tendering process for medical supplies and noticed UML's unusually low pricing. Further scrutiny revealed that identification numbers on some delivered items matched those of previously ordered and received stock. An investigation subsequently uncovered that funds paid by the trust into UML's business account were redirected to Lawyis Medical UK Ltd, a shell company established by Olusesi, and to the personal accounts of all three defendants.

Horsley also disclosed that some of the supplied stock was deemed “not fit for purpose” and had to be identified and removed from circulation to ensure patient safety. He remarked that “the more they looked the more it unravelled.”

Stephen Collman, managing director of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, condemned the actions, stating, “This was an extensive and sustained programme of fraud which cost the NHS hundreds of thousands of pounds.” He added that the crime was “made all the worse by the fact that it was carried out by NHS staff members abusing their positions of trust.”

The three individuals await sentencing at a later date. Both Adeyemi and Nbanga have been remanded in custody, as the judge considers them to be a flight risk. Beyond the financial implications, Horsley warned that such cases could compromise “people's trust in the NHS.”