CAGD Staff ‘Fired’ Over Payroll Fraud

 

The Ministry of Finance has interdicted a staff member of the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD), who deliberately removed a teacher’s name from the government payroll after she refused to pay a bribe he demanded.

The revelation was made at the sitting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament in Accra yesterday, during which Members of Parliament (MPs) decried about the recurring payroll irregularities.

Chairperson of PAC, Abena Osei-Asare, expressed concern about the persistent problem of legitimate workers being unfairly struck off the payroll, sometimes leaving them without pay for several months.

“It is very painful that, genuinely, your name is taken off the payroll. For one reason or the other, you have to go to Controller sometimes for eight good months and you still haven’t been reinstated. Meanwhile, you are there working and being validated. How do we cure this?” she lamented.

The Controller and Accountant-General, Kwasi Agyei, admitted there were challenges but stressed that his office could only act after district-level validators had confirmed staff details. “We cannot, as Controller, pay you if the validators haven’t validated you,” he explained.

Deputy Finance Minister, Thomas Ampem Nyarko, confirmed that investigations into payroll fraud are underway. He emphasised that the government’s digital payroll system makes it easier to trace who activates or deactivates workers on the payroll.

“We’ve come across some allegations of payroll-related fraud that we have asked the investigation agencies to look into. Fortunately, the system allows us to know exactly who made those changes,” he said, assuring the public that culprits would be sanctioned.

In a related matter, the PAC also recommended the interdiction of a Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) officer whose actions allegedly led to a GH¢2 million loss to the state.

Vice Chairman of the Committee, Davis Opoku Ansah, questioned the lack of documentation behind the officer’s decision to suspend the licences of some companies.

Commissioner of the GRA, Anthony Kwasi Sarpong, admitted that the authority had encountered difficulties identifying the specific officer involved, but promised to provide the Committee with more details.

Meanwhile, PAC Chairperson, Abena Osei-Asare, urged the Controller’s office to establish a dedicated desk to resolve payroll complaints, arguing that genuine cases often drag on for months without resolution.

“There are genuine reasons and genuine concerns. Sometimes when you hear their stories, Controller, it’s not too good,” she noted.

 

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