The acting Chief Executive Officer, Clearline International Limited, Dr Babatunde Ladele, has described the claims by an ex-employee, Funmilayo Oyelaja, that the company swindled the National Health Insurance Scheme of over N60m as false.

 

He said Oyelaja and her accomplice, Tunde Ogunseye, had been declared wanted for defrauding the Health Maintenance Organisation. NAN Metro had reported that Oyelaja and Ogunseye were recently paraded by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu, for alleged fraudulent activities on the NHIS account.

 

During the parade, Oyelaja accused all HMOs of teaching their employees how to steal, adding that whenever Clearline paid hospitals from the NHIS account, she and her bosses took advantage of such transactions to defraud the scheme.

The 38-year-old also said she stole N38m, but alleged that the amount Clearline illegally made from the transactions was more than N60m. Refuting the claims, Ladele said Oyelaja’s allegations were scandalous, because the NHIS had always reconciled its accounts with Clearline every three months.

 

He explained that all lawful steps were taken when it was discovered that Oyelaja and Ogunseye had defrauded the company, adding that the management had placed a bounty on them when they absconded after committing the crime more than two years ago.

 

Ladele said, “We saw what was published in the papers and we were not going to react quickly without getting in touch with our regulators, because they are aware and we need to brief them about what we are doing.

 

“This incident happened more than two years ago, precisely around March 2017, and all lawful things had been done. We reported to the police and informed our board and investors during our annual general meeting. We also informed our auditors and it was reported in our end of the year financial statements, which we do turn over to regulators every year. In fact, it was included in our 2017 and 2018 statements.

 

“Probably, Oyelaja and Ogunseye assumed that since they had fled the country, everything would have cooled off, but they didn’t know that we had reported to the police and that the people Oyelaja mentioned were invited by the police to write statements.

 

“The police even collected their Bank Verification Numbers to investigate their accounts for any incriminating transactions. Infact, everything needful was done. Oyelaja and Ogunseye were declared wanted and we placed a bounty on their head and the bounty worked in our favour, because they were arrested last week.

 

“So, for her (Oyelaja) to say that all the HMOs were involved in reaping off the NHIS is funny, because the NHIS officials are always on our neck; and every three months, the agency reconciles its accounts with us. And for an employee to say that the HMOs teach their staff members how to steal is scandalous.”

 

Ladele, who said the persons Oyelaja mentioned had been re-invited by the police, stated that criminal actions had also been instituted against the other accomplices.