The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has revealed the uncovering of a sophisticated criminal scheme within the National Service Authority (NSA) that resulted in the loss of more than GH¢548 million through the insertion of ghost names into the national payroll.
Addressing the press on Friday, Dr. Ayine disclosed that the fraud was carried out by a coordinated network of officials, including directors, staff, and service providers, during the previous Akufo-Addo administration.
The scheme, he said, was part of a broader investigation under the “Operation Recover All Loot” (ORAL) initiative aimed at exposing corruption and recovering stolen public funds.
“The criminal enterprise that led to this massive financial loss involved the deliberate creation and maintenance of ghost names in the NSA payroll system. These fictitious entries were then exploited to divert state funds for personal gain,” Dr. Ayine explained.
The investigation, launched on the orders of President John Dramani Mahama and led by the National Investigations Bureau (NIB), was prompted by the detection of over 8,000 ghost names on the NSA’s payroll.
Breaking down the financial losses, Dr. Ayine said GH¢350.9 million was lost in the 2022/2023 service year, while GH¢32.8 million was siphoned in the 2023/2024 period, bringing the total to GH¢548.3 million.
He added that several key individuals implicated in the scandal are being interrogated, and prosecutions will follow swiftly.
The government, he stressed, remains committed to rooting out corruption and ensuring accountability in public institutions.
“The days of impunity are over, anyone found culpable will face the full rigour of the law,” Dr. Ayine declared.
