Auditor-General apologises over GH¢427 million 'payroll error'

The Office of the Auditor-General has issued an official apology after an error in its nationwide payroll audit report wrongly linked a public servant to an alleged GH¢427 million salary payment.

The apology follows a payroll audit covering the period January 1, 2023, to June 30, 2025, after a media report cited one Frank Oliver Kpodo as having received GH¢427,995,661.40 in unearned salary.

The figure was first highlighted in a report by The Fourth Estate, which suggested that Kpodo received an average of more than GH¢14 million monthly in unearned payments.

GH¢427 Million Payroll Scandal: Civil servant earns millions without reporting to work

In a statement issued on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, the Auditor-General’s office clarified that the figure resulted from a transpositional error and did not relate to Kpodo.

“The GH¢427,995,661.40 relates to the Ministry of Education in respect of 3,476 unaccounted staff during the payroll audit,” the statement said.

The Auditor-General further extended an apology to Kpodo, stating, “We extend our most sincere and unreserved apologies to Frank Oliver Kpodo for the distress and unwarranted public scrutiny this error may have caused.”

Meanwhile, the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) has also rejected claims circulating on social media that a senior civil servant at the Ministry of Defence received unearned salaries totaling GH¢427 million over 29 months, insisting Ghana’s payroll system prevents such occurrences.

“The Government of Ghana payroll system runs on controls and automations which allow only approved pay structures by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission to be processed for employees eligible by their conditions of service,” the department stated.

SO/MA

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