THE United Kingdom National Health Service Counter Fraud Authority has announced that it secured the three-year conviction of a Nigerian doctor, Richard Akinrolabu, for offences bordering on fraud by false representation to the tune of £268,000.
PUNCH Metro learnt from a statement posted on the NHSCFA website on Monday that Akinrolabu was employed as a trust grade specialist registrar in obstetrics and gynaecology by the Princess Royal University Hospital, and between 2018 and 2021, he gave excuses to his employer to reduce his workload.
The statement noted that while he was being excused on the grounds that he was sick and unable to work night shifts, Akinrolabu secured employment with other hospitals and was working the same shifts he had claimed he could not take up due to medical reasons.
It read in part, “A former NHS resident doctor has been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to defrauding the NHS out of more than £268,000, following an NHS Counter Fraud Authority investigation. Between October 2018 and December 2021, he worked on-call and night shifts at three additional trusts, despite informing his employer that he was unfit to do the same work for them.
“He worked these shifts whilst on sick leave or on reduced duties from King’s College Hospital. As well as paying Dr Akinrolabu his full salary, the trust had to employ locums to cover these shifts.
“In November 2021, KCH received information stating that Akinrolabu had been working night shifts at Basildon Hospital. Investigations by the trust’s local counter fraud team found that he had worked several on-call shifts there.”
The statement noted that upon receiving information about Akinrolabu’s conduct, the NHSCFA conducted an independent investigation, obtained evidence and invited the defendant for an interview in 2022, but he declined to comment on the matter.
The NHSCFA noted that Akinrolabu was subsequently arraigned on a four-count indictment bordering on fraud by false representation at Woolwich Crown Court.
The statement continued, “KCH provided evidence which confirmed that he had neither sought nor received permission to carry out secondary employment. Timesheet and payroll information obtained from the other three trusts showed that the majority of shifts that he had worked were at night and on-call, despite claiming to be unfit to do either.
“In June 2022, the local counter fraud team interviewed Akinrolabu under caution, during which he gave a ‘no comment’ response. Following further investigation by the NHSCFA, he was subsequently charged with four counts of Fraud by False Representation.
“Richard Akinrolabu, 61, of Orpington, Kent, received his sentence at Woolwich Crown Court on November 4, 2025, having previously pleaded guilty to all four counts of Fraud by False Representation at the same court on September 3, 2025.”
While quoting the judge, the statement added, “In sentencing, His Honour Judge David Miller said: ‘You lied to occupational health, your colleagues and your employer. The public doesn’t expect doctors to lie for personal gain.’”
Similarly, the NHSCFA Head of Operations, Ben Harrison, was quoted as saying, “This case demonstrates a clear and deliberate abuse of trust by an NHS professional who knowingly breached the conditions of his employment for personal gain.
“By working additional on-call and night shifts, despite being unfit to do so, Akinrolabu defrauded the NHS of substantial funds that should have supported patient care.
“The NHS Counter Fraud Authority will continue to ensure that those who seek to exploit the health service for their own benefit are identified and brought to justice.”
Akinrolabu’s conviction joins the list of Nigerians who have been arrested and convicted for fraudulent practices outside the shores of the country.
PUNCH Metro reported on September 19 that a Nigerian living in the United Kingdom, Farouk Adekunle Adepoju, was arrested by British authorities following a request from the United States government after he was indicted on charges of wire fraud and computer fraud.
According to US prosecutors, Adepoju had hacked into the email system of a Pennsylvania construction company working for a university, then created fake accounts to impersonate staff and divert payment.
