The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has revealed that a forensic audit conducted by the Auditor-General has uncovered a massive GH¢2.2 billion loss to the state through the National Service Authority (NSA) ghost names scandal — far higher than the earlier estimate of GH¢548 million.
Speaking on Wednesday, October 22, at the Government Accountability Series, Dr Ayine said the new figure followed a detailed forensic review of payroll records and disbursements within the scheme.
“The Auditor-General’s forensic audit has now established that the actual amount involved in the ghost names scandal at the National Service Secretariat is GH¢2.2 billion, not the GH¢548 million previously reported,” he stated.
The National Service Authority, which deploys thousands of graduates annually to both public and private organisations, has long faced criticism for poor oversight and recurring reports of financial irregularities.
Dr Ayine explained that the inflated wage bill resulted mainly from the inclusion of non-existent personnel — “ghost names” — fraudulently inserted into the system to enable illegal payments.
He assured that the Ministry of Justice will collaborate with the Auditor-General’s office and law enforcement agencies to prosecute those involved and recover as much of the stolen funds as possible.
The Attorney-General also disclosed that between 2017 and 2024, Hanan Abdul-Wahab, Chief Executive Officer of Buffer Stock Company Limited, together with Richard Sam-Asante and Bismark Owusu Bokaye, allegedly diverted GH¢78,269,084.04 from the company’s accounts to a private firm linked to Abdul-Wahab, his wife, and other staff of Buffer Stock Company at Republic Bank and Ecobank.
