A crooked registrar faces a lengthy jail
sentence after being found guilty of issuing false birth certificates
to a gang of African fraudsters who stole at least £4million from
taxpayers over 20 years.
Azu Akpom provided fake certificates to
the ringleader
of the gang who went on to create false identities for up
to 100 children to milk the benefits system.
Croydon Crown Court heard how the
Nigerian-born father of three was ultimately trapped by a text message
which, despite his denial, showed he knew the gang’s chief conspirator,
Ugandan-born Ruth Nabuguzi, 49.
Last year the same court heard how she
was at the centre of the scam which also saw her claim to be suffering
from HIV and needing costly drugs – yet in reality she sent them back to
Uganda to be sold for huge profits.
Supplying the drugs for so many years
cost the taxpayer more than £2million. The gang exploited false
identities in the fraud relating to accommodation and sub-letting of
flats at a cost of £650,000, and various benefits totalling £900,000.
This week 46-year-old Akpom’s role in
the scam was exposed as prosecutor Paul Raudnitz told the jury: ‘This
case revolves around the making of false identities for children and Azu
Akpom as a registrar was at the centre of helping make those
identities.
‘While he denies any knowledge of
knowing Ruth Nabuguzi there is an incriminating text message directly
from his mobile phone to hers which was found by the investigating
authorities.
‘These certificates enabled the gang to
make numerous false claims for both child benefits and child tax credits
and other allowances.’
The court heard how Akpom started to
work for the Borough of Newham in East London in 2004 before becoming a
registrar in 2006 and a senior registrar a year later.
He was later introduced to Nabuguzi and
her gang and began providing false birth certificates for use in their
long-running conspiracy.
As a registrar, he had a duty to request
confirmation of a birth, with an NHS number from the hospital where the
child had supposedly been born. Instead, he simply filled out birth
certificates after being given names by the gang.
Staff became suspicious and Akpom became
the subject of an internal investigation while the UK Border Agency and
police investigated Nabuguzi and her gang.
When she and fellow gang members were
arrested in September 2011 a ‘kit bag for fraud’ containing documents
and birth certificates was found.
These included five issued by Akpom for false identities – all supposedly ‘born’ earlier that year.
A text from his phone to one of
Nabuguzi’s six mobiles read: ‘Just remember if anyone asks anything
about you and me deny that you know me. I don’t know anyone too . . . so
they have nothing.’
Investigators were unable to discover how much Akpom, from Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, had been paid by the gang.
Nabuguzi claimed HIV/AIDS drugs costing £2,280,000. She also received £500,000 in housing benefit from Newham Council.
She came to the UK in 1991 and claimed
asylum for herself and four ‘children’. Three years later, she used a
different name to apply again – with two more ‘children’.
In 1999, using yet another name, she
applied once more for asylum, this time with three ‘children’. She is
believed to have regularly travelled back to Uganda and bought at least
three properties there.
In November she was jailed for six years while the rest of her gang received sentences totalling 19 years between them.
Akpom denied misconduct in a judicial or
public office and five counts of fraud but it took the jury only 90
minutes to find him guilty of all six charges.
The judge refused his request to be
allowed to go home before sentencing next week to see his family. He was
remanded in custody and refused bail.
Recorder Freya Newbery told Akpom: ‘The
unique feature of this case is serious misconduct while in public office
and abuse of trust and that is particularly serious.’
The maximum sentence misconduct in a judicial or public office is life imprisonment.
Courtesy: The Mail
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