Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has ordered an investigation into the operations of the National Service Authority under the previous government after the discovery of over 81,885 suspected ghost names on its payroll.
The ghost names were uncovered following a review aimed at settling outstanding payments for allowances to the agency, which oversees the mandatory one-year professional placements for graduates, according to a statement from the presidency.
It remains unclear what previous payments may have been made under these ghost names.
The Ministry of Finance has disbursed $14.6 million to just over 98,000 legitimate beneficiaries, according to the presidency’s statement, cited by Reuters.
Mahama, who returned to power in January, has vowed to eradicate entrenched corruption in the West African nation, a major producer of oil and gold, which is emerging from its worst economic crisis in a generation.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Ghana’s anti-corruption agency, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), declared former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta a "wanted fugitive" in connection with his alleged role in five transactions under investigation for corruption and related offenses.
