The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has charged six individuals with payroll fraud and corruption-related offences at the High Court in Tamale, Northern Region.

The accused are facing 17 counts of corruption for allegedly orchestrating fraudulent salary payments, resulting in financial loss to the state.

The individuals charged include Yakubu Tahidu, Abdulai Abukari Sadic, Sammy Suuk, Mohammed Yusif Jay, Stafford Korletey Azudey-Barres, and Osman Issahaku. Their prosecution stems from a National Security investigation, which uncovered that Yakubu Tahidu continued to receive a government salary despite no longer being a teacher. The other accused persons are alleged to have either facilitated or failed to prevent the fraudulent transactions.

According to the OSP, Yakubu Tahidu, a former teacher at Balogu M/A JHS, illegally remained on the government payroll after taking up a position at the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC).

The prosecution alleges that Abdulai Abukari Sadic, the Yendi Municipal IPPD Coordinator, and Sammy Suuk, a Schools Improvement Support Officer, played roles in validating salary payments for Tahidu despite his departure.

Mohammed Yusif Jay, a former headteacher of Balogu M/A JHS, allegedly validated the fraudulent payments even after his reassignment to a different school.

Stafford Korletey Azudey-Barres, an Assistant Chief Accounts Technician at the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department, is accused of enabling the processing of unauthorized salaries.

Additionally, Osman Issahaku, the current headteacher of Balogu M/A JHS, is alleged to have continued validating the wrongful salary payments.