E/R: 2 officials interdicted as NSA uncovers payroll fraud ring in Birim North | Nsemkeka
The National Service Authority (NSA) has interdicted two officials — the District Manager and the Management Information Systems (MIS) Manager — in the Birim North District of the Eastern Region over their alleged involvement in a payroll fraud scheme.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the two validated and processed monthly allowances for at least 29 individuals during the 2024/2025 service year and 49 others in the 2023/2024 period.
These individuals were either on study leave with pay or already in full-time employment, yet were fraudulently registered as regular National Service personnel.
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In a statement issued by the NSA, the Authority confirmed that the suspects admitted to the fraud when confronted with evidence during a meeting held on Wednesday, 14 May.
The statement read:
During a meeting convened this morning, both individuals were presented with substantial evidence of their misconduct. In subsequent discussions, the two officers admitted to their direct involvement in the fraudulent activity. As a result, the Management of the Authority has interdicted the two officers pending further investigations.
The NSA further disclosed that the case is part of a wider pattern of abuse involving the deliberate falsification of records by public sector workers — including teachers, nurses, midwives, customs officers, and others — who hide their employment status to fraudulently enrol in the National Service scheme.
The Authority stated:
These individuals, confirmed to be permanent staff within the public service, deliberately conceal their employment status and fraudulently enrol as regular National Service personnel. They receive monthly service allowances as if they were genuine service persons, in violation of established protocols and the laws governing the public service.
To tackle the abuse, the NSA is implementing stricter verification procedures. All enrolment records will now be cross-checked with the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) database to detect and eliminate cases of double salaries and identity fraud.
The NSA is urging all individuals involved in the scheme — believed to number in the thousands nationwide — to immediately cease submitting allowance claim forms. They are required to report voluntarily to their respective regional NSA offices by Thursday, 23 May 2025, to regularise their status.
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Failure to comply, the Authority warned, will result in the publication of names and photographs of all those found culpable, and their details will be forwarded to the appropriate security and law enforcement agencies for further investigation and possible prosecution.