CAGD, OSP join forces to tackle payroll fraud
By DL News
Published
1 min read
The announcement follows strong concerns raised by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament over recurring irregularities flagged in the 2024 Auditor-General’s Report, including unearned salaries and inflated wage payments.
The Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) says it is working closely with the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to track down and prosecute individuals behind payroll malpractices in the public sector.
The announcement follows strong concerns raised by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament over recurring irregularities flagged in the 2024 Auditor-General’s Report, including unearned salaries and inflated wage payments.
Controller and Accountant-General Kwasi Agyei, addressing the committee on Monday, stressed that recovery alone was not enough. “We must go beyond just retrieving the money. The system allows us to trace every transaction to the specific staff ID, and once investigations are complete, the culprits will be prosecuted,” he assured.
Mr. Agyei explained that the payroll system runs on Oracle technology, making it possible to track an audit trail and identify who authorised questionable allowances or payments.
Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Ampem Nyarko led officials from the Ministry of Finance, CAGD, the Ghana Revenue Authority, and other agencies under the ministry to appear before PAC to respond to queries raised in the Auditor-General’s report.
PAC Chairperson Abena Osei Asare confirmed that the committee’s public hearing, which began on August 19, concluded on August 25. She added that the next session would reconvene on September 29 to review reports on ministries, departments, and agencies for the 2024 financial year.
The collaboration between the CAGD and OSP is being described as a decisive step toward accountability and transparency in the management of Ghana’s public finances.
