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Three NHS administrators, including two men of Bangladeshi origin, have been handed significant jail sentences for a vast and sophisticated fraud scheme. The trio pocketed approximately £412,000 by creating over 1,600 fraudulent Covid-19 vaccination records for more than 800 customers, allowing them to evade public health restrictions during the pandemic.
A breach of trust at the heart of the National Health Service (NHS) has resulted in the imprisonment of three former administrators who capitalized on the nation’s crisis for personal financial gain. Rokibul Islam, 31, and Muhammed Ahmed, 27, whose names strongly indicate a Bangladeshi heritage, along with their colleague Hakeem Walters, 29, were sentenced at Southwark Crown Court. They admitted to charges of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and conspiracy to cause a computer to perform a function with intent.
The widespread deceit took place while the men were employed at a vaccine centre within the Westfield Shopping Centre in Stratford, London. Between August 17 and December 13, 2021, the defendants falsified the vaccination status for 847 people, requiring a total of 1,648 false entries into the National Immunisation Vaccination System (NIVS).
The operation was highly profitable, with customers charged an estimated £250 per fake record. This criminal enterprise generated a combined sum of approximately £412,000 for the fraudsters.
The fraudulent entries meant that 847 individuals were falsely shown as fully vaccinated on the NHS Covid-19 App, granting them unauthorized freedom to travel abroad, attend restricted venues, and apply for jobs that mandated vaccination proof.
Prosecutor Kathryn Drummond detailed how the group profited "at the expense of the wider public." The court specifically heard that Islam (31), a Band Three administrator, was central to the scheme. He not only had access to the critical NIVS but illegally sold his confidential login details to Ahmed (27) for £1,000. Ms. Drummond revealed that "Every single vaccine record associated with his login was false," confirming he "never created any true or honest vaccination" despite his role. While a definite country of origin was not confirmed by the court, the names Islam and Ahmed are overwhelmingly indicative of a South Asian, particularly Bangladeshi background. Their accomplice, Hakeem Walters (29), is recorded as a British national residing in England.
Sentencing the trio, Judge Sally-Ann Hales emphasized the seriousness of the offences committed during a pandemic, highlighting the "risk to public health is self-evident" and the damage done to the integrity of the NHS. The judge also noted that the conspiracy likely "involved more people than just you three."
The following immediate custodial sentences were imposed:
- Hakeem Walters (29, British): Four years and four months imprisonment.
- Muhammed Ahmed (27): Four years and four months imprisonment.
- Rokibul Islam (31): One year and seven months imprisonment.
Judge Hales concluded that it is too easy to forget the importance of the vaccine scheme in saving lives, underscoring that the gravity of the crimes warranted nothing less than immediate jail time.
