A former Deputy Executive Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS), Gifty Oware-Mensah has returned to the country today.
However, she was not arrested at the Kotoka International Airport as planned by the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) upon her return to Ghana from the diaspora.
Speaking to the press at the airport moments after she arrived in the country, Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin said she will be visiting the NIB with her lawyers to answer questions on the alleged scandal.
“Sometimes this ‘Rambo-style’ approach doesn’t help. If you want to invite someone, you can do so. The person is a public official, so there should be no problem,” he said.
“If the person arrives with a lawyer or states that they do not need one, and is willing to answer questions, and if bail is necessary, arrangements can be made. I think that is what is required by the law,” he added.
The NIB is probing her work at the NSS over allegations that thousands of ghost names were used to defraud the state of millions of cedis in allowances.
The government says it has uncovered a significant discrepancy in the National Service payroll, revealing 81,885 suspected ghost names.
This figure represents the difference between the actual number of active personnel and the payroll data submitted by the previous management of the National Service Authority (NSA).
According to the latest findings, there are currently 98,145 active service personnel, a stark contrast to the 180,030 names presented for allowance payment in 2024.
“This figure is 81,885 less than the 180,030 names presented by the previous management of the Authority for allowance payment in 2024,” the statement read
The 81,885 names that have been flagged as potentially fraudulent or inflated could represent a major misuse of public funds.
As the Deputy Executive Director, Gifty Oware-Mensah had responsibility for administration and finance of the NSS and is expected to be a key witness in the ongoing investigations.
The alleged payroll fraud is reported to have cost the state a staggering GHȼ50 million each month.
It is unclear how long the alleged scheme went on.
Over the weekend, the government announced an extradition process to bring key suspects in alleged malfeasance back to Ghana, following reports that some individuals wanted to assist in investigations had fled the country to evade justice.
The NIB recently detained and questioned Kwaku Ohene Djan, also a former Deputy Executive Director of the National Service Authority, over the raging allegations.
