Deputy Minister for Finance, Thomas Ampem Nyarko, confirmed that the government has launched investigations into fresh allegations of payroll fraud within the CAGD.
He explained that the digital payroll system makes it possible to trace exactly who is responsible for manipulations, including cases where workers’ names are unfairly removed.
“We’ve come across some allegations of payroll-related fraud issues that we have asked the investigation agencies to look into. Fortunately, because these things are done on the system, it is possible to see who activated somebody, who deactivated the person, and all that. There was one that went viral recently about someone whose name was removed from the payroll because he did not pay a bribe. We have taken a serious view of this, and it is being investigated.”
The Ministry assured the public that the matter will be pursued thoroughly and that anyone found guilty will face sanctions.
In a separate matter, the PAC also called for the interdiction of a Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) officer whose actions allegedly led to a GH₵2 million debt for the state.
The Vice Chairman of the Committee questioned how such a decision could have been made without proper documentation.
“You should have had some kind of piece of paper that they looked at. All these companies may have some paperwork at GRA. You suspend their licenses, they take you to court. Give us the reasons why you suspended; you can’t give them. And because of that, we pay over GH₵2 million. Who made that decision to suspend the licenses?” he asked.
Commissioner at GRA, Anthony Kwasi Sarpong, admitted difficulties in identifying the specific officer responsible but pledged to provide further details to the Committee.
“At the moment, we have had difficulties giving the circumstances surrounding how this event occurred to identify the officers and assign responsibility. That’s why we are reporting back to the committee that we have had difficulties in actually identifying the officers to practically implement the recommendation,” he said.
Chairperson of the PAC, Abena Osei-Asare, urged the Controller’s office to set up a dedicated desk to handle payroll complaints, noting that many genuine cases are often left unresolved for months.
“There are genuine reasons and genuine concerns. Sometimes when you hear their stories, Controller, it’s not too good,” she said.