President Mahama has launched a SHOCK probe into the National Service Authority (NSA) after a staggering 81,885 suspected “ghost names” were discovered on the payroll.
That’s right, EIGHTY-ONE THOUSAND, EIGHT HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-FIVE!
Where did all that cash go?
The President’s order comes after Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson demanded a headcount of service personnel before releasing cash for backdated allowances. Turns out, a HUGE number of names on the books simply DON’T EXIST.
A whopping GHS 226,019,224 has now been released to pay the 98,145 real service personnel. But what about the rest? Where’s the missing money?
This isn’t the first time the NSA has been under the microscope. The Fourth Estate newspaper previously exposed dodgy dealings at the top, naming top dogs including deputy D-G Gifty Oware Mensah.
That investigation is now with the Special Prosecutor and Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL).
President Mahama has told the new NSA boss, Gyamfi Felix, and his deputy, Ruth Dela Seddoh, to clean up the mess and stop these “ghosts” from returning. Looks like they’ve got their work cut out for them!
President Mahama has tasked the new leadership with immediate reforms to establish robust controls and prevent a repeat of the ghost names issue.
This recent investigation adds to prior scrutiny faced by the Authority. In his first term, President Mahama ordered a similar probe following reports of discrepancies, resulting in personnel changes and legal action.
The payroll findings from the Fourth Estate have been forwarded to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) team for further action.
