by Rachel Ogbu
Nigerian-British Gynaecologist, Dr. Anthony Madu has been jailed for two years and stripped of his license for fraud. He was convicted of six charges in 2014 mainly for working at hospitals across England while employed at the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. He had worked at different hospitals while receiving sick pay from another hospital and then failed to pay back nearly £100,000 when he was requested to do so.
British investigation caught up with the 46-year-old who was employed at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, when they discovered he had transferred £95,000 to a Nigerian bank account. He was suspended at the time but told he must return the money back to the NHS or face jail.
Prosecutor Christian Jowett said, “The doctor has transferred £95,000 to a bank account in Nigeria. He was legally obliged to tell his employers about his work but he did not do so. He was also legally obliged to tell two locum agencies that he was on extended leave and had been granted sickness leave.
According to reports, Madu continued to work for other health boards including in Manchester, Yorkshire, and the Midlands. The cost to the four hospitals he defrauded was said to be £240,000.
Cheryl Hill, deputy operational fraud manager at the NHS Counter Fraud Service Wales, said, “He has done his utmost to avoid paying back any of the stolen NHS money.
“Madu has therefore been jailed for two years for his failure to repay. The defrauded money will remain outstanding even after he has served his sentence.
“The message is clear: defrauding the NHS results in criminal convictions and huge damage to careers. We are relentless in pursuing those who defraud the NHS.”
Dr. Anthony Madu will now serve a two-year sentence in jail.
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