'Ghost' Pops Up At Controller

DAILY GUIDE has uncovered a scheme whereby some teachers who went for further studies without pay are still kept on government payroll, even though they do not receive their monthly salaries directly.

One Isaac Mensah's particulars were allegedly used to divert a total of GH¢12,731.89 between January 2010 and June 2012 after being told he was not entitled to any salary for opting for further studies.

He told DAILY GUIDE that it was after he had decided to rejoin the Ghana Education Service (GES) upon the completion of his university programme that the anomaly was detected at the Controller and Accountant General's Department (CAGD).

In what could be reminiscent of the 'ghost' names syndrome, Isaac's account was allegedly diverted from the Western Region where he drew his salary in the Ellembelle District and placed at Union Rural Bank, Winneba in the Central Region, in an unmarked account.

When he tried to register biometrically at the CAGD after school, he was told he needed to pay arrears of GH¢12,731.89 as the total monthly salaries he had drawn from January 2010 to June 2012.

He said he challenged the registering officials at the CAGD about the situation and it was then confirmed that he indeed, never took the amount in question over the period.

The CAGD on August 29, 2014, with reference PPD/30/100/8, wrote to the Union Rural Bank instructing the bank to pay the accumulated amount back to government chest.

'The salary of Isaac Mensah, staff of the Ghana Education Service, for the months of January 2010 to June 2012, have been sent to your bank without any account number. The said employee is not a customer of your bank,' Eugene A. Agyekum, Deputy Head , Payroll Processing Division, wrote on behalf of the Controller.

'We hereby advise that you pay all the salaries for the period stated above to the CAGD and Wages Suspense Account, Central Region, Number 0123063014002 at the Bank of Ghana, Takoradi,' the letter, which was copied to the Regional Director of CAGD, instructed.

The Effutu Municipal Assembly in a letter of October 7, 2014, signed by Richard Anokye, Municipal Finance Officer, with reference EMA/F 15/VOL. V33, stated it also submitted a payment order which it said was to be paid into CAGD's Suspense Account in the name of Isaac Mensah.

On September 29, the Union Rural Bank in a letter signed by Joshua Odoom, Deputy General Manager of the bank, wrote the CAGD confirming that 'we have the sum of GH¢10,528.11 outstanding in our books as unclaimed salaries in the name of Mr. Isaac Mensah.'

'We are arranging to pay the unclaimed salaries into the CAGD's Salaries and Suspense Account, Central Region account number 0123063014002, Bank of Ghana, Takoradi under advice to you,' the letter, with reference URB/CAG/14/1, said further.

On January 19, 2015 the Regional Director of CAGD, Samuel Q. Duedu, in a letter with reference CCT.231/2 to the CAGD, confirmed that Isaac Mensah's salaries for the period January 2010 to June 2012 amounting to GH¢10,528.11, was transferred to the CAGD Suspense Account at the Bank of Ghana, Takoradi.

The Regional Director however, said, 'Further steps are being taken to retrieve the outstanding balance of GH¢2,203.78 from the rural bank.'

According to Isaac, the CAGD had refused to pay him since he rejoined the GES in May 2012 and said he had even been appointed a substantive head of the school he is currently in.

'I hear similar stories about my colleagues and I did not know that this will ever happen to me,' he claimed.

BY William Yaw Owusu