The Office of the Auditor-General has recovered GH¢10 million from individuals who were paid salaries they were not entitled to, remitting the funds into the Consolidated Fund at the Bank of Ghana.
The recoveries, made voluntarily by those implicated, come amid an ongoing special audit into unearned salaries, a practice that has long drained public resources. Auditor-General Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu told the Daily Graphic that the funds were recovered within the past two months as the audit gained momentum.
“So far, the audit shows that 53,311 government workers who had officially left the public service remained on the payroll, resulting in over GH¢150 million in unearned salaries,” he explained.
The report, covering 2023 to April 2025, highlights significant lapses in payroll management across Ministries, Departments, Agencies (MDAs), and Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs). Although the separation of staff due to retirement, resignation, contract completion, termination, or death was recorded, crucial information was not transmitted to the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) to halt salary payments.
Out of the 53,311 separated staff, 2,446 continued receiving salaries after their exit dates. These “unearned salaries,” totaling GH¢150.36 million, are now subject to recovery, with the Auditor-General urging MDAs and MMDAs to retrieve the funds promptly.
Asiedu praised the voluntary repayments, noting that notifying individuals of discrepancies has expedited refunds and saved the state time and legal costs.
He, however, warned that recovery alone is insufficient. “We are collaborating with the Ministry of Finance and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to investigate and prosecute public officials who authorised or validated these fraudulent payments,” he said.