A former civil service agency worker, Alessandra Akiwowo, narrowly escaped imprisonment after being found guilty of misusing a Cabinet Office phone to make over 1,100 calls to a church in Nigeria, accumulating a staggering bill of £18,529.46.
Akiwowo, aged 43 and originally from Nigeria, currently residing in Ipswich, was employed through recruitment agency Allen Lane and worked at the Race Disparity Unit.
During her tenure, spanning from August 2020 to March 2021 and then from June 2021 to September 2021, Akiwowo was provided with an iPhone SE and a laptop, accompanied by a policy directive instructing her to limit personal calls and refrain from international calls.
However, she disregarded the guidelines, persistently making calls during and after her employment, even after her contract had concluded.
The prosecution revealed that Akiwowo’s unauthorized calls amounted to a significant abuse of usage terms, costing the taxpayer nearly £18,000.
The discovery was made nearly a year after her departure when the Cabinet Office observed unusually high charges and subsequently cancelled the SIM card.
Further investigation revealed the extent of Akiwowo’s misconduct, with most calls traced back to a church in Nigeria.
Despite initial denials and attempts to downplay her actions, Akiwowo eventually pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position.
The court heard how her grief over the loss of her godmother during the COVID-19 pandemic was cited as a mitigating factor, along with her compromised financial situation following a downgrade to a lower-paying administrative role.
In her ruling, Judge Caroline English criticized Akiwowo’s dishonesty and highlighted the substantial financial burden imposed on the public purse.
However, she ultimately opted to suspend Akiwowo’s 12-month sentence for 18 months, subjecting her to an electronically monitored curfew and community service.
