Tenant handed suspended prison sentence for misleading council officers in application to acquire council property under Right to Buy
A man from Barking and Dagenham has been sentenced for housing fraud after being found guilty of “deliberately misleading” council officers in an application to acquire his 3-bed council property under the Right to Buy Scheme.
On Monday this week (31 March), Nosa Ogie of London Road, Barking, was sentenced to 5 concurrent sentences of 2 years, suspended for 2 years, and ordered to pay costs of £2,800.
The council said that in February 2023, while processing a Right to Buy application made by Mr Ogie, council officers discovered that he had links to L&Q Housing Association, and further enquiries showed that he was also the tenant of a one-bed property.
Joint investigations between officers from the council and L&Q further revealed that Ogie had recently put in a Right to Acquire (RTA) application with L&Q for the one-bed property and in neither application did he reveal he held more than one tenancy.
According to L&Q, Ogie had been illegally subletting the one-bed property for six years.
L&Q Housing Association and council fraud officers launched a criminal investigation, which led to legal action.
During the investigation and after the evidence was presented to him, Ogie handed back the one-bed property to the council “without the need for court action”.
This week, he was sentenced and charged with four offences under the Fraud Act 2006 and one offence under the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act 2013.
On top of his suspended prison sentence, he was ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid work and pay costs of £2,800.
Cllr Syed Ghani, Barking and Dagenham's Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety, said: “I would like to appreciate the sterling work of our Right to Buy Sales and Letting team and colleagues from L&Q for being able to unearth this fraudulent and dishonest act.
“The actions of this person have not only deprived another household the opportunity of a roof over their heads, it also shows their dishonesty knows no boundaries. People who think they can get away with fraudulent activity against the council should know that we will find them, and they will be prosecuted.”
Nicola Evans, Tenancy Fraud Manager at L&Q, said: “Partnership working is fundamental to tackling social housing fraud and ensuring a fair system. By working together to gather evidence, bring the case to court, and reclaim this property, we've secured a permanent home for a family in need. This is a great result for the residents, their wider community, and ultimately, the taxpayer too.”
Ogie was originally found guilty in 2023 but appealed the decision. However, following a pre-trial hearing on 6 March 2024, at Snaresbrook Crown Court, he withdrew his appeal.
