Attorney General and Minister for Justice Dr. Dominic Ayine, has revealed that the state has lost over GH¢548 million due to the payment of salaries and allowances to non-existent employees, commonly referred to as “ghost names,” within the National Service Authority (NSA).
The revelation came following an ongoing audit and investigation into the payroll systems of various government agencies, including the NSA.
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According to the Attorney General, the fraudulent payments occurred over several years and involved a well-coordinated network of individuals who manipulated the payroll to siphon state funds.
The revelations come in the wake of a directive from President John Dramani Mahama instructing the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) to probe irregularities at the NSA, following the discovery of over 8,000 ghost names on its payroll.
Dr. Ayine said the investigation has uncovered that certain individuals in positions of authority during the Akufo-Addo administration orchestrated the scheme, which he described as a “criminal enterprise” involving directors, staff, and service providers.
He said “In total, as stated, we lost about 548,333,542.65 to the criminal enterprise perpetrated by these executives, directors, and staff, as well as the 5 service providers in the market.
“The criminal enterprise that resulted in the loss of this colossal sum of money involved the creation of ghost names in the NSA payroll system by some directors and staff, which was subsequently exploited to misappropriate state funds for their gain.”
