Ghost names: Prosecute those in charge of payrolls - Vitus Azeem

Anti-corruption campaigner, Vitus Azeem, has urged the government to prosecute those responsible for payrolls that have ghost names on them. His comments come following the suspension of the salaries of some public workers. On October 3, 2022, a letter by the Controller and Accountant General indicated that the September salaries of some public sector workers had been suspended. “As a result of the quality assurance and other validation processes undertaken by the Controller and Accountant General Department, there has been the need to suspend the payment of September 2022 salaries to some employees whose bank names are mismatched on the GOG payroll system whiles others had invalid bank account numbers on the system,” the letter stated. The Controller and Accountant General noted, “For employees whose bank names are mismatched, kindly arrange for the employee to report to the payroll coordination unit of the GAGD at block ‘A’ room 32 with the under-listed documents under a cover letter from the MDA confirming they are at post.” Employees with invalid bank account numbers were urged to submit their correct bank account numbers to the PPSs for an update. Speaking on Atinka TV’s morning show, Ghana Nie with Ekourba Gyasi Simpremu, Mr. Vitus Azeem questioned what the Controller and Accountant General was doing about the ghost names and those who were in charge of the payrolls. “You don’t have to come out and say that you have removed 500 ghost names from the payroll, what have you done to the people who have put those names on the payroll, what have you done to the people who are the ghosts that have been claiming those monies?” he quizzed. Mr. Vitus Azeem continued, “If somebody legally puts a name on the payroll, it must be a Controller and Accountant General staff. There are sanctions, they should be punished, suspended, sacked, or even prosecuted for putting those names that are not supposed to be there. And then those whose names are there, and they are not supposed to be there, maybe for no fault of theirs, at least efforts should be made to recover the monies from them. That is where you say that they are working, but for several years now, anytime you will come out to say that you have identified 500 ghost names on the payroll, what have you done to the people, have you recovered the monies? How about somebody responsible for the payroll? How did the names get onto the payroll?”

Anti-corruption campaigner, Vitus Azeem, has urged the government to prosecute those responsible for payrolls that have ghost names on them. His comments come following the suspension of the salaries of some public workers. On October 3, 2022, a letter by the Controller and Accountant General indicated that the September salaries of some public sector workers had been suspended. “As a result of the quality assurance and other validation processes undertaken by the Controller and Accountant General Department, there has been the need to suspend the payment of September 2022 salaries to some employees whose bank names are mismatched on the GOG payroll system whiles others had invalid bank account numbers on the system,” the letter stated. The Controller and Accountant General noted, “For employees whose bank names are mismatched, kindly arrange for the employee to report to the payroll coordination unit of the GAGD at block ‘A’ room 32 with the under-listed documents under a cover letter from the MDA confirming they are at post.” Employees with invalid bank account numbers were urged to submit their correct bank account numbers to the PPSs for an update. Speaking on Atinka TV’s morning show, Ghana Nie with Ekourba Gyasi Simpremu, Mr. Vitus Azeem questioned what the Controller and Accountant General was doing about the ghost names and those who were in charge of the payrolls. “You don’t have to come out and say that you have removed 500 ghost names from the payroll, what have you done to the people who have put those names on the payroll, what have you done to the people who are the ghosts that have been claiming those monies?” he quizzed. Mr. Vitus Azeem continued, “If somebody legally puts a name on the payroll, it must be a Controller and Accountant General staff. There are sanctions, they should be punished, suspended, sacked, or even prosecuted for putting those names that are not supposed to be there. And then those whose names are there, and they are not supposed to be there, maybe for no fault of theirs, at least efforts should be made to recover the monies from them. That is where you say that they are working, but for several years now, anytime you will come out to say that you have identified 500 ghost names on the payroll, what have you done to the people, have you recovered the monies? How about somebody responsible for the payroll? How did the names get onto the payroll?”