PAC orders arrest, prosecution of teacher for alleged payroll fraud

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has directed the arrest and prosecution of Comfort Appiah, a teacher from Sunyani, following allegations of payroll irregularities and the misuse of unearned salary.

The PAC's decision came after revelations of a significant fraudulent scheme involving a substantial sum of GH?26,000.

According to the Kintampo South District Education Directorate, the scheme was orchestrated by Bismark Agyekum, a headteacher and payroll validator, who absconded to California with a validation code. This code allowed him to unlawfully secure GH?26,000 in salary payments. It was further disclosed that Agyekum subsequently transferred these funds to Appiah’s account in Sunyani after they were initially deposited into his own account.

Suspicions of collusion between Agyekum and Appiah prompted the PAC, led by James Klutsey Avedzi, to refer the case to the Attorney-General for further prosecution. The committee's inquiry underscores its commitment to addressing fraudulent activities and ensuring accountability in public financial management.

In related developments, Ray Ankrah, Deputy CEO of COCOBOD in charge of Finance and Administration, provided an update on the recovery of unpaid funds. He reported that GH?200,000 out of GH?1.8 million owed had been recovered, though efforts to reclaim the remaining amount are ongoing. Ankrah also disclosed that GH?1.6 million of COCOBOD's investments are currently tied up with Zenith Bank due to the government’s Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).

The PAC session also saw representatives from the Ghana Police Service, Fire Service, Prisons Service, and Immigration Service addressing queries from the Auditor-General’s report.

Additionally, a Ghana Education Service (GES) officer named Sampson admitted to misappropriating GH?15,000. Despite recognising the error, Sampson confessed to keeping the funds and only partially repaying them before halting the return. His admission highlights ongoing issues of salary overpayments and raises serious questions about the integrity of public servants.

PAC Chairperson James Klutse Avedzi expressed deep concern over the incident and called for an immediate review of the GES payroll system to prevent similar occurrences. The committee’s continued scrutiny into government financial practices aims to tackle the persistent issues of overpayments, ghost names on payrolls, and unauthorised allowances that have plagued the public sector, leading to substantial losses in public funds.

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