The Auditor General’s Report for 2024 has highlighted a substantial financial irregularity involving the mispayment of GHS302,306.35 in unearned salaries to employees across four Municipal and District Assemblies in the Ahafo Region. Alarmingly, these payments were disbursed during an election year, benefiting twelve individuals who had already exited their positions at the Assemblies.
According to the report, the payments contravene Regulation 92 of the Public Financial Management Regulations, 2019, which mandates that the Principal Spending Officer of any public entity must immediately halt salary payments upon the termination of an employee’s contract—whether due to resignation, retirement, leave without pay, or other forms of separation—and notify the Controller and Accountant-General accordingly.
The Auditor General’s findings reveal that the management of the Tano South Municipal Assembly, Asutifi South District Assembly, Asunafo South District Assembly, and Asunafo North Municipal Assembly authorized these improper payments to staff who had been absent from duty for periods ranging from two to twelve months.
Notable instances of unearned salary payments include:
– Eugene Boakye, an Assistant Public Health Engineer, who received GHS5,432.40 in October 2024 despite vacating his role.
– Gladys Adjei, the Human Resource Manager for Asutifi South District, who was paid GHS10,897.88 in unearned salaries between June and July 2024.
– Abuu Frimpong, Assistant Planning Officer at Asunafo South District Assembly, who was wrongfully compensated GHS5,088.04 in August 2024.
– Gloria Kwarteng, a Senior Procurement Assistant at Asunafo South District Assembly, who unjustly collected GHS45,007.38 over the course of the year.
Additional cases of misappropriation include Kingsley Kwadwo Manu, a former Executive Officer, who received GHS22,573.20 from February to December 2024, and George Kwadwo Oti, a former Yard Foreman, who received GHS32,765.36 during the same period. Other beneficiaries of these unearned salaries were Francis Adjei, Isaaka Bawa, Yaw Boamah, Imoro Abubakari Sadiq, Frank Ofori, and Kwame Builsa, with payments ranging from GHS10,558.75 to GHS62,672.20.
In light of these findings, the Auditor General has urged the Assemblies’ management to recover the total amount of GHS302,306.35 from the implicated individuals, recommending that these funds be deposited into the Auditor-General’s Recoveries Account at the Bank of Ghana. Should the recovery not take place, officials responsible for the validation of these salaries are held accountable for refunding the amounts disbursed.
The glaring mishandling of public funds raises serious concerns about financial oversight and accountability within the Ahafo Region’s administrative structures, necessitating immediate corrective actions to restore integrity in public service.