Available documents dispel claims of “ghost workers” within the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs’ current payroll. The records shared with auditors and seen by this paper show that all employees listed are legitimate and that allegations of financial mismanagement are unfounded.
This comes amid ongoing audits by the General Auditing Commission (GAC) focused on the ministry’s supplementary payroll practices.
Deputy Minister for Administration, Atty. Cornelia Kruah, categorically rejected allegations surrounding ghost workers appearing on the ministry’s payroll.
“Those individuals are not ghosts,” she said. They are people who actually work at the Ministry of State.”
Supporting her assertion, documents reviewed by the Oracle News Daily show no evidence of people who are being paid as employees at the moment but not working.
The records include a detailed attendance roster with verified identification numbers for each employee, confirming their presence during the verification process.
The GAC is currently engaged in a headcount verification exercise at the Ministry, as part of a larger effort to scrutinize the legitimacy of the supplementary payroll, which has faced criticism for potential misuse.
The most recent GAC audit report, authored by Auditor General P. Garswa Jackson, highlighted that the ministry had failed to present 74 newly hired supplementary staff for physical verification. This oversight reportedly breaches Regulation T (5)(1) of the Public Financial Management (PFM) Act.
While the audit findings indicated an inability to physically count some employees, the GAC stopped short of labeling them as ghost staff. In fact, Cornelia clarified that there was a request from GAC for employee files rather than mandatory physical attendance, a point she reiterated on OK FM’s afternoon show, stating, “Whatever the case, there is an avenue for physical verification to be conducted.” Auditors have returned to the ministry to perform the head count as planned.
Historically, the ministry has faced scrutiny regarding the management of its supplementary payroll, which once included over 700 individuals under the previous administration.
In a letter dated May 17, 2024, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Sylvester Grigsby revealed that the ministry had inherited a supplementary payroll numbering 728. Following discussions with the Civil Service Agency (CSA), a decision was made to discontinue this payroll due to irregularities that had emerged.
In June 2024, the ministry disclosed that 74 staff members, owed a total of $76,440 in unpaid wages and severance benefits, could not be compensated during the closeout exercise. This failure, according to the ministry, stemmed from the lack of authenticated evidence regarding their employment status.
The GAC’s review further indicated the ministry had retained unpaid checks in its account, without voiding them—a requirement set forth by financial regulations.
However, It has now emerged that the Ministry of state did not interact with the amount in question and the voided checks are with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning.
Despite the challenges, Deputy Minister Cornelia Kruah remains optimistic, stating, “We requested this audit because we want the Ministry of State to operate under the same standards as all other government ministries.”
To bolster transparency, the ministry has transferred payroll vetting responsibilities to the CSA, ensuring more stringent controls moving forward.
Addressing reports indicating over 300 purported ghost workers found between 2018 and 2024, Kruah clarified that the actual number on the supplementary payroll is slightly above 100.
Furthermore, she dispelled notions that the payroll was manipulated for political gain, asserting that the decision to discontinue it was purely administrative.
In a move towards improved financial governance, Kruah announced the establishment of a permanent representative from the Internal Audit Agency (IAA) at the Ministry of State, marking a significant step in accountability efforts.
Regarding questions surrounding the alleged misapplication of funds linked to ghost employees, Kruah affirmed, “The check is held by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning. The Ministry of State has not spent any of this money.”
