Auditor-General Apologizes for GH¢427m Payroll Error as PAC Probes Multiple Public Fund Discrepancies

The Office of the Auditor-General of Ghana has issued a formal apology to Frank Oliver Kpodo, a senior civil servant, after erroneously linking him to a GH¢427 million payroll fraud claim. The initial report, which alleged that Kpodo received unearned salaries over 29 months while at the Ministry of Defence, was revealed to be the result of a transpositional error. According to the Audit Service, the GH¢427 million figure actually referred to 3,476 unaccounted staff members within the Ministry of Education, rather than a single individual. The Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) has since reaffirmed the integrity of the national payroll system, asserting that stringent validations and controls make such massive overpayments to an individual impossible.

Despite the apology, the fallout from the error continues as Frank Oliver Kpodo’s legal team, led by Prince Ganaku, considers a lawsuit against media outlet The Fourth Estate for reputational damage. Ganaku emphasized that the initial publication caused severe professional harm and public backlash on social media that an apology alone cannot rectify. Former Chairman of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), James Klutse Avedzi, has also weighed in on the controversy, cautioning the public and media against treating Auditor-General reports as infallible. He stressed the necessity of parliamentary scrutiny and verification processes to prevent misrepresentations that can damage the credibility of state institutions.

While the GH¢427 million claim was dismissed as an error, the PAC is currently moving to recover other confirmed unauthorized payments across various assemblies. In one instance, the PAC ordered the Sunyani West Municipal Assembly to refund GH¢116,000 within 30 days after discovering unapproved end-of-service benefits paid to staff. Of the initial GH¢135,000 illegally distributed, only GH¢19,000 has been recovered so far. PAC Chairperson Abena Osei-Asare warned that strict sanctions would follow if the remaining funds were not returned to the state treasury promptly.

Concurrently, the committee is investigating a GH¢139,710 payroll discrepancy at the Sefwi Akontombra District Assembly. This investigation has notably linked a serving Accounts Officer at Parliament to irregular salary payments made to three officers on secondment between 2022 and 2024. Because previous attempts to retrieve the funds have failed, the PAC has instructed the Clerk of Parliament to take further action against the officer involved. These combined cases highlight an intensified national effort to address the improper use of public funds while simultaneously revealing the critical need for accuracy in the nation's auditing and reporting mechanisms.