A woman has been jailed for 20 months last week after pleading guilty to subletting her council property and providing false information in order to purchase it under the Right to Buy scheme.
However Council officers have yet to confiscate the fraudulently obtained discount as well as the income from subletting the property. Moshoodat Oladejo, or Oshodi, pleaded guilty to both charges at Wood Green Crown Court on Tuesday and was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment.
Barking and Dagenham Council Officers discovered that she had sublet her one bedroom flat in Keir Hardie Way, Barking, after she had bought the property under the Government Right to Buy scheme.
Oladejo was found to have sublet the council property while living with her husband and children at an address in Dagenham, owned by her husband, a fact that she concealed when applying to buy it.
As a result she was able to buy the property at a discounted rate of £47,000 and continue to sublet it for financial gain.
Councillor Dominic Twomey, deputy leader and cabinet member for finance said: “We will not tolerate housing cheats in Barking and Dagenham. Council properties are precious and there for decent law-abiding people, not for greedy fraudsters.
“I can assure residents we will be remorseless in our pursuit of them to make sure council homes go to those who have the right to live in one.”
According to Barking and Dagenham Council this is one of several cases against tenants suspected of committing fraud, currently being prosecuted.
