$450,000 allegedly stolen by UBC official

By Stanley Tromp, Vancouver Sun, July 16, 2011

The former financial manager in the University of B.C.’s pediatrics department is accused of stealing more than $450,000 from taxpayers in a cheque scheme dating back to 2003, according to a search warrant document filed by Richmond RCMP.

John Mwotassubi admitted writing 75 unauthorized cheques totalling $458,996 to his private company JHM Consulting after being confronted in June 2010 by auditors hired by UBC, the court documents say. Police allege all of the cheques were mailed to his home address in Surrey.

“Mwotassubi was shocked when he was advised that the amount was over $400,000 since 2006, and said that goal was to pay it back,” says the warrant material sworn June 1, 2011. When auditors asked him if he had created false invoices, “Mwotassubi confirmed this by nodding his head.”

He was suspended with pay and later fired by the university. The police investigation continues and no charges have been laid.

Today, Mwotassubi is listed as “Finance Chair and the treasurer for Excellence” of the Korle-Bu Neuroscience Foundation, a Langley-based registered charity that provides medical support for West Africans with brain injuries, according to its website. The charity was started in 2000 by a Vancouver-based neuroscience nurse.

The Vancouver Sun contacted Mwotassubi by phone at his Surrey home to ask about the allegations.

“Sorry, I have no comment,” he responded before hanging up.

Neither officials at UBC nor the Korle-Bu Foundation responded Friday to interview requests.

Mwotassubi joined the foundation in 2008 while still an employee at UBC.

In his profile online at LinkedIn, Mwotassubi says he served as finance manager in the UBC pediatrics department from October 2002 to June 2010. He states that he was responsible for managing $120 million in UBC operating funds, endowment funds, donation funds and research funds.

Mwotassubi wrote that he recruited, trained and supervised two finance administrators and two finance assistants, and his UBC work included “preparation and management of budgets and all financial matters relating to the two centres CCCHR (Centre for Community Child Health Research) & CHII (Centre for Healthcare Improvement) operating budgets, research grants, contracts & endowments.”

He was paid $77,942 plus $2,992 for expenses at UBC in fiscal year 2009-10, according to information contained in The Sun’s public sector salaries database. The database at vancouversun.com/datacentral contains salary information for more than 60,000 of the highest-paid public servants in B.C.

The search warrant material alleges that UBC policy permits an employee to own a personal company that does work for the university, but all requisitions must be approved by a supervisor.

Mwotassubi registered his company, JHM Consulting, with UBC in 2002. He billed UBC $4,980 and $4,050 in 2002 and 2006 respectively and these payments were approved by his supervisor.

However, the court documents allege he approved 75 other requisitions to JHM totalling $458,996 without supervisor approval.

The search warrant seeks access to the Toronto Dominion bank account statements of Mwotassubi for the years 2003 to 2010 to determine if the UBC cheques were deposited there.

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