One of the three ghost workers captured in the latest Auditor-General’s report as having been illegally paid a total amount of GH¢1,112,895.96 as salaries by the Ministry of Finance, although their personal files and other details could not be traced, has popped up.
According to Habibu Adam, who received a total of GH¢370, 724.16 out of the GH¢1,112,895.96 while on the public payroll, he was not contacted by the Auditor-General to respond to the findings, however, he will soon “get the detailed reports to respond to and resolve the matter”.
The Herald has since established that Habibu Adam was in the office of the Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo-Marfo.
Interestingly, the same, Yaw Osafo-Marfo, was in a previous report by the sacked Auditor General, Daniel Yaw Dormelevo, indicted for hiring Kroll Associate at cost of US$1 million, for no work done.
It is, however, unclear why Habibu Adam, will be the one responding to the Auditor-General and not the Chief Director and the validators at the Finance Ministry, who had been indicted and surcharged for failing to ensure that the payments to him and the two others met Regulation 86 of the Public Financial Management Regulations, 2019 (L.I. 2378).
The regulation states that, “a Principal Spending Officer of a covered entity shall ensure that only the names of personnel who are eligible to receive payment for work done are kept on the payment voucher and keep records of the nominal roll of the covered entity in a manner that ensures that the correct amount of emolument is paid”.
The Auditor-General, Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, in his audit report for the year 2021 to Parliament revealed that he could not trace the personal files and names of the three persons who received salaries for a year on the nominal roll of the Ministry.
The three Allotey Easmon James, got paid GH¢206, 433.00, Kwakye Nana Yaw Asiedu, got a whopping GH¢535, 736.80 and Adam Habibu, received a total of GH¢370, 724.16.
In this regard, the A-G, has recommended that the amount of GH¢1,112,895.96, should be recovered from the Chief Director and the payroll validators of the Ministry.
Nothing is yet available on Allotey Easmon James and Kwakye Nana Yaw Asiedu, but The Herald’s checks have revealed that, Adam Habibu, operated from the Office of Yaw Osafo-Marfo.
Adam Habibu, had contested the Tamale North Constituency seat in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) primaries for the 2020 parliamentary election, but lost by four votes to Damani Alhassan, who had won the seat in 2012 as independent candidate, although a known member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Damani Alhassan, later became an NPP candidate after crossing carpet to the ruling party, having been ensnared with government goodies. He was eventually beating by Alhassan Suhuyini, the NDC candidate.
But in a Facebook post that is in circulation, Habibu Adam wrote saying “My attention has been drawn to Citi FM news and other social media outlets about Auditor General’s report where my name was mentioned as one of the ghost persons on payroll.
According to him, “while this may be painful, let’s not condemn our State institutions like the Auditor-General or the Courts when such incidents occur. Let’s help them do their work properly by assisting them rectify anomalies in our system. It is no news that Ghana has challenges with our records and documentation. Most people remember how judgement debts were paid purely because of bad records keeping and documentation. In this instance, I was never contacted neither was my attention drawn to any audit report. I do hope it was an oversight that can be resolved.
“I was out of town on official duty and just returned tonight. God willing, we will get the detailed reports to respond to and resolve the matter.
He added that “we must understand that in every human institution, there are bound to be some degree of imperfections. At the last Commonwealth Games, Ghana’s 4×100 Relay Team was disqualified from competing in the final just because Ghana’s officials fail to inform the organisers of the Game about the substitution they made. But, at least, they learnt their lessons. So, we will cooperate with the Auditor-General to resolve the issue God willing.
“Thanks to the Auditor-General’s team for drawing our attention to some anomalies we may not have been aware. Asallamu Allaikum
The 2021 Auditor General’s report, showed that Ghana lost more than GH¢1 billion due to infractions at the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
One of the infractions in the report was the payment of unearned salaries to persons at the various MDAs. The unearned wages were paid to staff who discontinued their engagement with the ministry, persons who have retired, as well as dead staff.
According to the report, the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Education, Office of the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, as well as the Ministry of Health, at some point paid salaries to staff who had either died, resigned or retired.
The report showed that these ministries paid over GH¢2 million in unearned salaries.
The payment of unearned salaries is a violation of Regulation 92 of the Public Financial Management Regulations, 2019 (L.I. 2378) provides that “the Principal Spending Officer of a covered entity shall ensure the immediate stoppage of payment of salary to public servants and notify the Controller and Accountant-General on the vacation of post by an employee, and on the resignation or retirement of an employee”.
Minister of Education
For the Minister of Education, the report indicated that some 88 former staff were paid more than GH¢1 million as unearned salaries after they had stopped working for the ministry.
“We noted that 88 staff who separated from their respective institutions were paid unearned salaries amounting to GH¢1,082,455.02.
“We recommended that the heads of these offices should recover the total unearned salaries of GH¢1,082,455.02 from the beneficiaries, failing which the amounts should be recovered from the heads,” parts of the report read.
Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice
The Ministry of Justice also paid two of its staff who had vacated their post more than GH¢170,000 over two years.
“We noted that two staff of the Ministry, Lily Badungbana Atutigah resigned on 17 January 2021, and Jocelyn Edzie, who vacated her post in September 2019, were paid a total unearned salary of GH¢170,123.20 for the period September 2019 to February 2021.
The Auditor General, therefore, recommended that the Chief Director should recover the total amount of GH¢170,123.00 from the two women, “failure of which the Chief Director and the validators should be held liable for refund of the amount”.
Ministry of Health
The report also found that over GH¢1 million in unearned salaries were given to some 146 persons who were previously attached to some health facilities under the ministry across the country.
Some of the health facilities included Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra Psychiatric Hospital and the Greater Accra Regional Hospital.
“Our review of the Electronic Salary Payment Voucher (ESPV) disclosed that unearned salaries amounting to GH¢1,519,853.00 was paid to 146 officers of 47 institutions,” it said.
Ministry of Transportation
The Ministry of Transportation was also found to have paid some of its workers who had died. It paid four workers, including Gilbert Nuworkpor, Michael Afesi, Fred Okyere Darko and Seleasie Kuadey, over GH¢12, 000 even though they were no longer working at the ministry.
“We noted during our audit of the payroll that four officers who separated (deceased) from the Ministry between August and November 2020 received a total unearned salary of GH¢12,144.21.
“We recommended that the Chief Director should recover the unearned salary of GH¢12,144.21 from the next-of-kins of the separated staff, failing which the Chief Director should pay,” the report read.
Ministry of Interior
The Auditor General also found that a staff member who had resigned from the Ministry of Interior was paid more than GH¢3,000 even though she no longer works there.
“Our review of the payroll disclosed that a total amount of GH¢3,414.05 was paid to Miss Davina Mariama Salifu who resigned from the Commission on 1 October 2020 but was paid an unearned salary for October 2020 and November 2020.
“We recommended that the Head of the Commission should recover the amount of GH¢3,414.05 from Ms. Davina Salifu, failing which the amount should be paid by the Head,” the report read.
