The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has saved Ghana GH¢34.25 million after expunging some ghost names from the government payroll in the Northern region.
The feat, which was attained together with the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD), was contained in the OSP’s Half-Yearly Report covering January to July 2025.
It was uncovered in the report that salaries were being paid to individuals who were deceased, retired, missing, or had vacated their posts.
The anomally, according to the payroll audit conducted between 2023 and 2024, was costing the state GH¢2.85 million every month.
The clean-up exercise led to a total saving of GH¢34,249,737.60 for the 2024 financial year, with six individuals implicated in the scheme being tried at the Tamale High Court where they pleaded guilty. They were ordered to refund monies unlawfully received, including GH¢106,318.95 in restitutions.
The report explains that, “the blockade 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 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¢34,249,737.60) for the 2024 financial year, and future savings of that amount (in addition to future periodic upward pay adjustments) for every year that the unearned salaries amount would have remained undetected but for the joint investigation and assessment by the OSP and CAGD.”
Payroll fraud, the report notes, is one of the major factors contributing to drain in the public purse, adding that the expunction of the names will save the state some resources that could be channeled into other sectors for development.
Also, seven convictions were made by the OSP in corruption-related cases during the period beyond the payroll investigations.
Sixty-seven other cases remain under investigation, involving institutions such as the Minerals Income Investment Fund, Tema Oil Refinery, Ghana Airports Company Limited, and the National Cathedral Secretariat.
Corruption fight: The law always appears to be a step behind criminal innovation – Kissi Agyebeng
