GH¢57.2m recovered from ghost names on payroll – Auditor General

The Auditor-General has recovered GH¢57.2 million in unearned salaries from ghost names on the government payroll between 2023 and April 2026.

The recoveries were first paid into a Special Recoveries Account held with commercial banks before being transferred into the Consolidated Fund, in line with financial regulations.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Graphic, Auditor-General Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu said the figures reflect a determined effort to permanently eliminate ghost names from the public payroll system.

“Auditors will comply fully with validation checks and surcharge every person who is paid unearned salaries.
We are determined to completely do away with ghost names on the payroll,” he stated.

According to data from the Auditor-General’s Department, GH¢29.5 million was recovered between 2023 and 2024 from individuals who either abandoned their posts or could not be validated. In 2025, intensified audits led to additional recoveries amounting to GH¢20.4 million.

Between January and April 2026, a further GH¢7.3 million has been retrieved, bringing the cumulative total to GH¢57.2 million.

Mr Asiedu confirmed that after reconciliation, all recovered funds were transferred from the Special Recoveries Account into the Consolidated Fund.

He also warned that supervisors and heads of institutions who approve payrolls without verifying staff presence would be held personally accountable.

“Supervisors who see to these payments are also going to be held accountable. If you as a supervisor certify a payroll knowing that a named person is not at post, you will be surcharged personally,” he said.

The move is expected to disrupt longstanding payroll irregularities across ministries, departments and agencies, where weak oversight has often allowed ghost names to persist.

Mr Asiedu explained that payroll audits involve cross-checking validation data, attendance records and posting letters. Individuals found to have received salaries without being at post or without completing mandatory biometric validation are surcharged and required to refund the money.

Those who fail to comply may face further action, including the issuance of a certificate of indebtedness, which allows for deductions from future payments or recovery through the courts.

He noted that the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament has welcomed the recoveries, describing them as a major step in addressing payroll fraud.

Beyond financial recovery, he stressed that institutional heads who facilitate such practices must face disciplinary sanctions.

Mr Asiedu further indicated that plans are underway to publish the names of surcharged individuals and their supervisors as a deterrent.

He assured that validation exercises are now conducted quarterly to ensure that only verified public sector workers remain on the payroll.

“Ghost names will become a thing of the past,” he declared.

As of press time, some affected individuals had filed appeals, but the Auditor-General maintained that the recovery process would continue until the payroll is fully sanitised.

Checks indicate that all recovered funds have been transferred from the Auditor-General’s Special Accounts with the Bank of Ghana and GCB Bank into the Consolidated Fund, in accordance with the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921).