Auditor-General reveals how GH¢7.4m was paid to four dead pensioners from 2019 to 2026
The Auditor-General has uncovered the payment of more than GH¢7.4 million to four pensioners after their deaths, exposing further weaknesses in Ghana’s pension and payroll management systems.
The finding is contained in the Report of the Auditor-General on the Public Accounts of Ghana – Ministries, Departments and Other Agencies (MDAs) for the year ended December 31, 2025.
According to the report, a total amount of GH¢7,494,975.34 was paid to the deceased pensioners between February 2019 and March 2026, in violation of Regulation 88 of the Public Financial Management Regulations, 2019 (L.I. 2378).
The Auditor-General has directed the Controller and Accountant-General to recover the full amount, including interest calculated at the prevailing Bank of Ghana policy rate, from the next-of-kin of the affected pensioners.
The report further instructed that all recovered funds should be deposited into the Auditor-General’s Recoveries Account at the Bank of Ghana.
It warned that where efforts to recover the money prove unsuccessful, legal action should be pursued against the financial institutions involved as well as the next-of-kin of the deceased beneficiaries.
The discovery forms part of a wider assessment of payroll-related irregularities identified during the 2025 audit of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, as the Auditor-General intensifies measures to improve accountability and prevent the loss of public resources.