The Attorney-General (A-G), Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, has announced that his office will file charges against 12 individuals implicated in the alleged ghost names scandal at the National Service Authority (NSA).
The 12 persons, who are former Directors who served under the Authority in the previous administration, will face charges.
Dr. Ayine explained that management’s involvement is crucial, as the crimes couldn’t have occurred without their knowledge and signatures, making them accountable.
The Attorney-General expressed his conviction that the named persons are “reasonably suspected to have committed crimes,” which is why they are being charged as part of the government’s Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL).
Addressing the media at the Information Services Department in Accra Friday, June 13, 2025, he revealed a widespread criminal enterprise involving top-level officials at the National Service Authority (NSA) who allegedly orchestrated the payroll fraud operation nationwide.
The A-G stated that evidence suggests senior administrators, including district directors, payroll officers, and the NSS CEO, collaborated over several years to inflate the NSS payroll with fake names.
Per their investigations, Dr. Ayine noted that investigators identified 81,885 “ghost” names used to siphon state resources during the period in question.
He stated that the Authority allegedly diverted approximately GH¢548 million from public coffers through this ghost names scandal at the NSA.
Funds intended for newly enrolled service personnel were rerouted into the pockets of officials and accomplices.
Also, he revealed that the criminal enterprise at its peak, generated over GH¢50 million monthly in false payments at its peak.
He said these ghost names were supported with fabricated index and ID numbers which were created by bypassing the authorised system.
Evidence also suggests the NSS CEO and other executives diverted state funds for personal use, according to the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General.
Dr. Ayine disclosed that before each service year, NSS directors submitted lump-sum payments to bolster the payroll. These sums were then redistributed via ghost accounts—cementing the scheme as recurring and institutionalised.
There is also a suspected bribery where in November 2024, funds were allegedly paid to a Member of Parliament to suppress media coverage of the scandal.
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