Six public officials have been convicted by the High Court in Tamale for their roles in a payroll corruption scheme that led to the wrongful payment of over GH₵100,000 in salaries to a former teacher who had vacated his post.
The convictions secured through a plea bargain initiated by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) marks a significant milestone in the government’s ongoing crackdown on payroll fraud within the public sector.
The scheme targeted Ghana Education Service (GES) payroll systems and resulted in full restitution and reparation of GH₵106,319.64, which has already been recovered by the state.
At the heart of the case is Tahidu Yakubu, a former teacher at Balogu Junior High School in Yendi, who vacated his position in 2022 after accepting a new appointment at MASLOC in the North-East Region.
Despite leaving the GES payroll, Yakubu continued receiving salary payments GH₵16,416.89 between August 2022 and January 2023 due to deliberate validation and reactivation of his salary by school heads, payroll officers, and accountants.
Investigations by the OSP revealed a coordinated effort to manipulate the payroll system.
Former headmaster Mohammed Yusif Jay (the fourth accused) unlawfully validated Yakubu’s employment status, while Sammy Suuk, a Schools Improvement Support Officer (the third accused), verified the fraudulent validations.
In January 2024, attempts were made to retroactively reinstate Yakubu’s salary for an additional eight-month period, resulting in a further GH₵47,064.34 being wrongfully disbursed.
According to the OSP’s report, “the conduct of the accused persons resulted in the State paying out unearned gross salary of GH₵86,318.95 to the first accused.”
On April 30, 2025, the High Court accepted the plea agreement, which was negotiated under Section 71 of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959).
The deal not only led to the recovery of stolen funds but also compelled the convicted individuals to provide confidential information to support further prosecutions.
Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng confirmed that the disclosures had been submitted to both his office and the Court under strict confidentiality.
The case is part of a broader government payroll administration investigation, launched in November 2023 by the OSP in collaboration with the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department.
The operation, currently in phase one, is focusing on payroll irregularities within the Ghana Education Service and Ghana Health Service.
Subsequent phases will extend to all Ministries, Departments, Agencies, and Local Government units.
According to the OSP, six other criminal trials are ongoing in Accra, Tamale, and Kumasi, with additional prosecutions expected.
“These proceedings signal our renewed resolve to hold corrupt public officers accountable and recover every cedi lost to payroll fraud,” said Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng.
By: J.W Quarm
