Ghana Lost GH¢548m to' Ghost Names' in National Service Scandal - Attorney General

Jun 14, 2025 - 00:43

Dr. Dominic Ayine is Ghana's Attorney General and Minister of Justice

Accra, Ghana - 14 June, 2025 - Ghana's Attorney General, Dominic Ayine, has revealed that a massive corruption scandal at the National Service Authority (NSA) has cost the country over GH¢548 million.

The staggering sum was siphoned off through a complex scheme involving ghost names on the national payroll, according to Dr. Ayine.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Dr. Ayine disclosed that the investigation, part of the government's Operation Recover All Loot initiative, had uncovered a "criminal enterprise" involving senior officials and service providers during the previous administration.

The scheme, he said, was orchestrated by individuals in positions of authority who exploited the system for personal gain.

“In total, as stated, we lost about 548,333,542.65 to the criminal enterprise perpetrated by these executives, directors, and staff, as well as the service providers in the market,'' he revealed.

“The criminal enterprise that resulted in the loss of this colossal loss of sum of money involved the creation of ghost names in the NSA payroll system by some directors and staff, which was subsequently exploited to misappropriate state funds for their gain,” he added.

The investigation was sparked by the discovery of over 8,000 ghost names on the NSA payroll, prompting President John Dramani Mahama to instruct the National Investigations Bureau to probe the irregularities. Dr. Ayine's revelations provide a glimpse into the scale and complexity of the corruption, which he described as a "colossal loss" of state funds.