• Samuel Kayode, 57, was an accountant at Haberdashers' Aske's academies
• Under investigation after £4million of school funds ended up in his accounts
• Alleged to have spent much of cash on extravagant lifestyle and properties
• The High Court case is believed to be Britain's biggest ever education fraud

An accountant at a chain of academies championed by Michael Gove is at the centre of a fraud investigation after £4million of school funds ended up in his personal accounts.

Nigerian-born Samuel Kayode is said to have spent much of the cash on an extravagant lifestyle and buying a string of properties.

The 57-year-old part-time pastor was told by the High Court to pay £4.1million back to the Haberdashers’ Aske’s chain of academies more than a year ago.

He has failed to do so, and it is feared most of the cash has been transferred to Nigeria.

The case, kept secret for almost two years, is believed to be Britain’s biggest ever education fraud.

Although Kayode was arrested in October 2012, police have yet to charge him with any crime.

Critics of academies – state schools which have control of their own finances – say the massive loss of cash calls that entire system into question.

Questions were also asked about whether Mr Gove – who lost his job as Education Secretary last week – took close enough interest in the case.

The vast sum of money is missing from the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation Trust in South London.

It is named after 17th century silk merchant Robert Aske who left much of his wealth to create an educational charity fund run by the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers.

The Haberdashers’ Aske’s public schools for boys and girls in Hertfordshire were founded with his money.

Three Haberdashers’ Aske’s state secondaries in South-East London – Hatcham College, Knight’s Academy and Crayford Academy – are run by the trust as a separate charitable wing funded by Mr Aske’s endowment. They were often referred to by Mr Gove in speeches.

Kayode went to work at Hatcham in 1997 and rose to become accounts manager for the whole chain.

He was paid £57,000 a year, and told colleagues of his work as a pastor in the Christ Apostolic Church, South London, peppering his conversations with ‘praise the Lord’.

In October 2012 it emerged that a large sum of money was missing from the academies’ funds.

Kayode’s assets and those of his wife Grace, who died aged 53 last year, were then frozen.

It appeared that huge sums of school money had been paid into a bank account in Nigeria and a company called Samak, which is said to be run in Nigeria by Kayode’s second wife Yoni, although he denies any wedding has taken place.

The trust launched a High Court case to reclaim the missing cash but the accountant denied wrongdoing and claimed ‘all transactions had been authorised by the finance director’.

However, the judge found in the trust’s favour last July and ordered Kayode and the estate of his late wife to pay back more than £4million plus interest.

He remains at large and is not facing any charges, although he is due to speak to detectives again this week.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman would say only that a man from Lambeth was on police bail.

Adrian Percival, chief executive of Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation Trust, said: ‘The civil case found in favour of the federation and we are trying to recover the money that has been taken from us. We are obviously shocked and saddened.’

But furious parents say Haberdashers’ Aske’s has tried to hush the scandal up.

Jill Rutter, who has several children at the Hatcham academy, said in an online blog: ‘The fraud strikes at the heart of the educational establishment and shows that the current system and the freedom afforded to academies is not working. Ultimately it is our children that suffer.’

Kayode’s boss at Haberdashers’ Aske’s, former chief finance officer Paul Durgan, is now working for a new academies chain.

He said: ‘Sam Kayode completely had me taken, like everybody else. Nobody from the police or school has spoken to me.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2699331/Nigerian-accountants-4million-fraud-academies-Gove-hailed-Staff-member-said-spent-cash-extravagant-lifestyle.html#ixzz384aowcMn
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Another bad egg who has succeeded in bringing down the reputation and image of Nigerian(s) to the mud.

See the oblong headed man and his wife. When will these people stop soiling Nigeria's name in the UK?

can it make fp. think not!

Thanks my people for making us proud whether in good deeds or bad deeds thank you Yoruba people making us ashame since 1959

Sophisticated crime

Only 4 million pounds?
Is that up to the cost of one Bini mask?
This UK people poor gan gan!

What reputation and image? It has been in the mud since 1999

uboma: Another bad egg who has succeeded in bringing down the reputation and image of Nigerian(s) to the mud.

Just imagine how greedy he is. He should be jailed

Naija sharp guy! He think say na waec and jamb runs... He dan meet!

______

Na wa oooo

Choi, very greedy man,. Part-time pastor indeed!! Smh •

they will keep giving Nigeria a bad name. thereby, making it hard for us to get a visa

Greedy idiot. Ole.

datguru: .

Chai,.

Dear Money, because all the ethnic groups in Nigeria have said that it's only the IGBOS that love you so much, we agree! So please rise now and visit every Igbo person struggling around the globe in dollars($), pounds(£) and euros(€).......amen!!




*runs away!*

banega: Chai,.

For your mind you don catch me . I wise pass you . Check the post again. Good morning

Nigerians and corruption

Chai! See the man like agege bread! Nigerians, always fucking up since 1960!

Nigerians sha. I hail thee. Opolo ti po ju.

Interesting read in my signature.

Robbers...All these people sharing bad name for Nigeria...God is watching you in 4D.

Interesting

BadBoy25: He should be imprisoned for getting caught . he is not a very intelligent man.

UK prison na prison? three square nutritional meal a day, with television and cable unit all for free na go shake the man? make he test 2 hours for kiri kiri, then he go understand why fraud nor good if bribing nor work.

What was he thinking? UK is unlike naija, where u get away with a crime.

#ole

he stole d money with d help of d finance director who is obviously a white man or pata pata indian. d guy is a British citizen. na when he do bad tin una remember hes a Nigerian. cry me a river abeg

news?

Why these people they give us bad name like this? I'm not suprise Gej is seeking for #160billion to fight boko people but the money is meant for impeachment and 2015election.