The Tamale High Court has convicted six persons in connection with payroll corruption scheme involving ghost names and fraudulent salary payments within the Ghana Education Service (GES).
The convicts are Stafford Korletey Azudey-Barres (Assistant Chief Accounts Technician, Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD, Accra), Tahidu Yakubu (former teacher, Balogu JHS, Yendi), Sammy Suuk (Schools Improvement Support Officer, Yendi North Circuit), Mohammed Yusif Jay (former headmaster, Balogu M/A JHS, Yendi), Abdulai Abubakar Sadic (Municipal Coordinator, Integrated Personnel Payroll Database, Yendi) and Osman Issahaku (current headmaster, Balogu M/A JHS, Yendi).
They faced 22 counts, including corruption, false certification, and causing financial loss to the state, linked to investigations into government payroll administration.
According to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), the convictions followed guilty pleas entered under the OSP’s plea bargaining framework, leading to full restitution and reparation to the state.
The convicted persons include school administrators, payroll officers, and accountants who facilitated the illegal validation and reactivation of salaries for a teacher who had vacated his post.
The OSP disclosed that their actions led to the wrongful payment of over GH₵86,000, all of which has now been recovered, bringing the total amount retrieved to GH₵106,319.64.
The OSP, in a statement, indicated that it is pursuing several other suspects as part of a broader, ongoing investigation.
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale