The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) have reported saving Ghana GH¢34,249,737.6 for the 2024 financial year through a thorough examination of the government payroll in the Northern Region.

This review included educational institutions under the Ghana Education Service and the Tamale Teaching Hospital.

The investigation began after the OSP identified and blocked "ghost names" in January 2024, recovering GH¢2,854,144.80. According to the OSP and CAGD's Phase 1, Volume 1 investigative report dated May 20, the collaboration revealed unearned salaries that would have otherwise gone unnoticed.

“The blockade of the amount of Two Million Eight Hundred and Fifty-Four Thousand One Hundred and Forty-Four cedis Eighty pesewas (GHC2,854,144.80) 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 (GHC34,249,737.6) 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 of Government Payroll in the Northern Region (covering educational institutions under Ghana Education Service and Tamale Teaching Hospital).”

The investigation uncovered that the payroll system in the Northern Region, particularly within GES and the Tamale Teaching Hospital, was being managed by unauthorized and inactive validators. The credentials of deceased and retired validators were actively used, and transferred validators were validating with outdated credentials. Additionally, staff transferred and released were still being validated by their previous management units.

The OSP highlighted the risk of unauthorized and continuous engagement by these institutions and noted the concerning use of unauthorized validators’ credentials.

The report concludes with a commitment to extend the investigation to the remaining 15 regions under Phase 1 of the exercise.

“The OSP and CAGD observed that the payroll system in the Northern Region (covering educational institutions under Ghana Education Service and the Tamale Teaching Hospital) is attended to by an alarming number of unauthorised and inactive validators. Indeed, most of the management units were found to be validating persons through the use of unauthorised and inactive validators’ credentials.

“That is to say, the credentials of deceased and retired validators were being actively used in the validation process. Then again, transferred validators were purporting to engage in validation with their inactive previous credentials. It was also observed that transferred and released staff were being validated by their previous management units, creating the clear danger of unattested active or continuous engagement by the respective institutions.”

“The OSP and CAGD would proceed by extending the investigation to the remaining fifteen regions under Phase I of the exercise.”