Gifty Oware-Mensah, the former Deputy Executive Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS), returned to the country today.
However, she was not apprehended at Kotoka International Airport as anticipated by the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) upon her return to Ghana from the diaspora.
Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin told reporters at the airport shortly after arriving in the nation that she will visit the NIB with her lawyers to answer questions about the alleged scandal.
“This ‘Rambo-style’ approach isn’t always effective. You are welcome to invite someone. “The individual is a public official, so there should be no issue,” he stated.
“If the person appears with a lawyer or claims not to need one, is willing to answer questions, and bail is required, arrangements can be made. “I believe that is required by law,” he continued.
The NIB is looking into her work at the NSS following claims that thousands of ghost names were exploited to cheat the state of millions of cedis in allowances.
The government claims it discovered a large disparity in the National Service payroll, revealing 81,885 possible ghost names.
This statistic shows the gap between the actual number of active staff and the payroll figures given by the National Service Authority’s prior management.
According to the most recent statistics, there are currently 98,145 active people, in striking contrast to the 180,030 names submitted for allowance payment in 2024.
“This figure is 81,885 less than the 180,030 names presented by the previous management of the Authority for allowance payment in 2024,” according to the report.
The 81,885 identities that have been reported as either false or inflated may indicate a significant waste of public cash.
Gifty Oware-Mensah, the NSS’s Deputy Executive Director, was in charge of the organization’s administration and finances, and she is anticipated to testify in the continuing investigations.
The alleged payroll theft cost the state GHɼ50 million per month.
It is unclear how long the alleged conspiracy continued.
Over the weekend, the government announced an extradition process to bring key suspects in alleged misconduct back to Ghana, following claims that some individuals who wanted to help with investigations had fled the country to avoid justice.
The NIB recently detained and questioned Kwaku Ohene Djan, a former Deputy Executive Director of the National Service Authority, in connection with the simmering claims.
