TORONTO, Aug. 23 - Officers from the Ontario Provincial Police, Anti-Rackets, Health Fraud Investigation Team in cooperation with Toronto Police Service, 52 Division Vice Section charged a Toronto Pharmacist and her son with fraud as part of an intensive investigation into fraudulent claims being made to the Ontario Drug Benefits Plan.

The investigation, which was initiated as a result of information received from the Toronto Police Service, found that persons that were receiving benefits under Ontario Drug Benefits would obtain prescriptions for high priced prescription drugs, and bring the prescription to the Kipling Guardian Pharmacy.

The pharmacy would pay the person presenting the prescription a percentage of the cash value of the drugs. The drugs were then billed to the Ontario Drug Benefits Program but were never dispensed by the pharmacy and the pharmacy would keep the remaining cash value of the drugs on
the prescription. The investigation found that approximately $90,000 in fraudulent billings was submitted by the pharmacy between January 2004 and May 2005.

Pharmacist Abimbola Kabiawu, 56, of Richmond Hill and 25 year-old Oluwarotimi Kabiawu also of Richmond Hill are charged with Fraud Over $5,000 contrary to the Criminal Code and will appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Toronto on October 25th, 2005.