Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has published a report stemming from a joint investigation with the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) regarding the Government’s Payroll Administration.
This release comes amidst a recent petition for the impeachment of Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng.
According to the OSP, the investigation yielded the identification and removal of undeserving individuals from the government’s payroll, leading to the blocking of salaries.
This action resulted in significant savings for the country, amounting to over GH¢34.2 million for the 2024 financial year alone.
The report, which is part of Phase 1 of the collaborative investigation, specifically targeted unwarranted salaries within the Ghana Education Service and Ghana Health Service in the Northern Region.
“Out of the sampled high-risk number of 1,265 individuals on the payroll, the joint investigation and assessment cleared 1,020 individuals as regularly validated.
The Special Prosecutor promptly unfroze the blocked salaries of the verified individuals upon timely clearance by the joint team, and they have been restored to the payroll system.
“A total amount of Two Million Eight Hundred and Fifty-Four Thousand One Hundred and Forty-Four cedis Eighty pesewas (GH¢2,854,144.80) was identified as unearned monthly salaries being paid to deceased, retired, vacated, missing, or unknown individuals (referred to as ‘Ghost Names’) from their respective effective dates to January 2024, when it was blocked by the Special Prosecutor,” excerpts from the report read.
It further stated, “The blocking of the amount of Two Million Eight Hundred and Fifty-Four Thousand One Hundred and Forty-Four cedis Eighty pesewas (GH¢2,854,144.80) and the removal from the Government Payroll of the corresponding deceased, retired, post vacators, the missing, and those whose whereabouts are unknown has saved the Republic an amount of Thirty-Four Million Two Hundred and Forty-Nine Thousand Seven Hundred and Thirty-Seven cedis Six pesewas (GH¢34,249,737.6) for the 2024 financial year, with potential future savings for every year the unearned salaries would have gone undetected.”
The report further states that the OSP and CAGD are actively pursuing legal action against individuals responsible for fraudulent activities, including promoting individuals to non-existent schools and validating payments to deceased, untraceable, retired, and vacant positions.
Efforts are underway to recover unearned salaries that were erroneously disbursed to individuals who are deceased, untraceable, retired, or no longer in their positions.