The city of Toronto announced on Monday it has fired nine workers for allegedly submitting fraudulent claims under its employee benefits plan.

The workers had been put on paid leave Feb. 20 pending the city's investigation into the allegations.

"At the conclusion of the investigation and subsequent review of the findings, the city took disciplinary action against the employees," the city said in a news release.

The allegations surfaced when Manulife Financial, which administers the city's benefits program, advised city officials following its audit of the employees' claims.

According to the city, employee benefit claims are processed through an outside administrator and are not reviewed by local management in order to protect employees' privacy.

City officials "will continue to work with Manulife Financial to ensure all claims by employees are legitimate," the release said.