The Attorney General, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has revealed that the Chief Executive of the National Service Scheme (NSS) paid a Ghanaian Member of Parliament (MP) to suppress a scandal involving ghost names within the scheme.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Dr. Ayine disclosed that his office had obtained evidence of financial transactions involving top executives of the NSS, vendors, and private individuals.
These transactions, he claimed, were linked to an attempt to cover up fraudulent activities within the scheme.
“Indeed, we now have evidence of payments that were made into the accounts of the top executives of the National Service by vendors, private vendors, and staff of the scheme,” he stated.
The Attorney General further alleged that in November 2024, the CEO of the NSS, along with other individuals, made payments to a Ghanaian MP to bury the ghost names scandal in the media and publicly defend them.
“We also have evidence that in November 2024… the CEO of the National Service Scheme and others paid a Ghanaian MP to kill the story in the media, and to defend them. Now, this is a developing story, and more of it will come out very soon,” he added.
The scandal, which involves the alleged insertion of thousands of ghost names into the NSS payroll, has sparked further investigations and possible future prosecutions. While Dr. Ayine did not name the MP involved, his statement suggests that more revelations will soon emerge.
This forms part of the new government’s Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) programme.
Last month, President John Mahama announced a crackdown on individuals involved in the ‘ghost names’ scandal.
Delivering the State of the Nation Address on Thursday, February 27, President Mahama disclosed that he has instructed investigative bodies to trace and freeze the assets of all persons suspected to be involved in the fraudulent scheme.
Additionally, those who have fled the country will be declared wanted as part of efforts to ensure full accountability and recovery of stolen funds.
“I have already tasked our investigative bodies to bring the culprits of the National Service ghost names to justice. Such brazen theft of public funds must not go unpunished. It is estimated that more than 80,000 ghost names could have yielded the suspects over GH¢50 million every month.
“Unfortunately some of these suspects have absconded the country already and I have directed that they be declared wanted and their assets traced and frozen until investigations are completed.”
The scandal, which was uncovered following a nationwide audit of the National Service Authority (NSA), involved the inclusion of thousands of fake names on the payroll, a fraudulent scheme that enabled corrupt officials to siphon funds meant for genuine National Service personnel.
Investigations revealed that high-ranking officials within the NSS, district directors, and payroll administrators were colluding to create fictitious personnel, allowing them to withdraw salaries on behalf of non-existent workers.
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