The NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) said Nbanga, a former materials management assistant at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, stole medical supplies from operating theatre stock rooms belonging to the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust before passing them on to a business associate.
His wife, Remilekun Olusesi, 40, and Birmingham-based Nigerian businessman Solomon Adeyemi, 57, were also convicted by a jury.
Adeyemi was found guilty of fraudulent trading, while Olusesi was convicted of money laundering through the acquisition, retention, use or control of criminal property.
NHS Equipment Sold Back to Hospital
The fraud took place between October 2016 and September 2019, when Nbanga removed medical supplies from hospital stock rooms and transferred them to Adeyemi, who was director of Ultimate Medical (UK) Ltd (UML), a medical supplies company based in Tyseley, Birmingham.
UML then sold the same equipment back to the NHS trust, meaning the hospital was effectively purchasing its own stock again — sometimes three or four times.
Dave Horsley of the NHS Counter Fraud Authority described the case as shocking, particularly because the stolen equipment was intended for use in patient operations.
“The stock was intended for operations on patients,” he said.
Investigation Uncovered Suspicious Supply Deals
The fraud was uncovered after the NHS trust began a tendering process for medical supplies and noticed that UML was offering unusually low prices.
Further checks revealed that identification numbers on some of the supplied items matched equipment that had already been ordered and delivered to the trust.
Investigators later discovered that payments made by the trust to UML’s business account had been transferred to Lawyis Medical UK Ltd, a shell company established by Olusesi, as well as to personal bank accounts belonging to the three defendants.
Horsley said some of the equipment supplied was found to be unsuitable for use and had to be removed from circulation to protect patient safety.
“The more they looked, the more it unravelled,” he said.
NHS Trust Condemns Abuse of Position
Stephen Collman, managing director of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, described the fraud as an extensive and sustained operation that cost the NHS hundreds of thousands of pounds.
“This was an extensive and sustained programme of fraud which cost the NHS hundreds of thousands of pounds,” he said.
He added that the situation was made more serious because the offence was committed by NHS staff members who abused positions of trust.
Horsley warned that beyond the financial losses, fraud against public healthcare services could damage confidence in the NHS.
“People’s trust in the NHS is compromised,” he said.
Nbanga and Adeyemi were remanded in custody after the trial, with the judge considering them a flight risk. All three defendants will be sentenced at a later date.
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