Reports of alleged payroll fraud has emitted from the Imo Internal Revenue Service, IIRS which has led to non-payment of salaries of the Civil servants up to three months.
It has been gathered that over 40% of staff of the agency have not been paid.The leadership which is now said to be notorious for sharp practices is said to have resorted to intimidation against anyone who raises eyebrows of the dubious development.
The ooz and alleged fraud is said to originate from illegal deductions, manipulation of staff salaries among other fraudulent practices.
The arrow head of the alleged fraud is the Human Resources manager,HRM,one Mrs Chika Okoliegbe of the Revenue agency who was reportedly sacked from one of the Commercial banks for also allegedly engaging in fraudulent practices.
The salaries of IIRS staffers were said to have been fraudulently manipulated and tampered with to enable the Interim Chairman of IIRS and his boss, the Commissioner for Finance, Dr Doris Anite pay salaries of staff they recruited through the back door because there is presently no waiver for employment into the state Civil service.
A source revealed that one of those fingered as arrow heads of the alleged payroll fraud, Mrs Okoliegbe who is said to be a confidant and loyalist of the Finance Commissioner, “was equally given room to bring outrageous requisitions for the procurement of Diesel and other items already bought by previous administrations at outrageous and unreasonable amounts just to retire and siphon money”.
The source also said, “the Human Resources is in charge of ghost workers who don’t come to work but receive salaries. They part with half of their salaries as part of their arrangement and/or bargain to be absent from duty and still be paid salary. As I speak to you now, some low level staff of IIRS, including cleaners and messengers have not been paid salaries for the past 3 months”.
This latest development is part of the litany of atrocities and reprehensible acts alleged to be going on at the IIRS under the questionable and controversial watch of Dr Chukwunonso Okeke and his boss Dr. Anite, the commissioner for Finance.
It had been gathered that when she was contacted, Okoliegbe said,”Anything you want to know, go to the Corperate Communications Department.By the way, of what benefit do I stand to gain to deduct people’s salary?I am a Christian, I can’t do that.You know propaganda is everywhere”, she submitted.
