Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak orders GIS officers to refund GH₵57,006

Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak has issued a final directive to two officers of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) to refund a total of GH₵57,006 in unearned salaries by November 7, 2026. The order, which was highlighted during a session of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, follows findings from the Auditor-General’s report regarding financial lapses and payroll irregularities within the service. The Minister emphasized that the state is committed to recovering every cedi paid out erroneously to personnel who were no longer in active service or had otherwise bypassed standard protocols.

The recovery efforts target specific instances where personnel continued to receive remuneration despite changes in their employment status. These cases involve a resigned inspector and another officer who failed to return to duty after an approved leave period. During the parliamentary proceedings, Mohammed-Mubarak made it clear that the responsibility for these losses does not rest solely with the recipients. He warned that if the funds are not successfully recovered by the stipulated deadline, the administrative officials who authorized the payments would be held personally and financially accountable for the debt.

Beyond the immediate recovery of funds, the Ministry of the Interior is moving toward systemic reforms to prevent future payroll leakage. Plans were discussed to implement a new human resource management system designed to streamline salary validation and improve coordination between the GIS and the Controller and Accountant General’s Department. This initiative aims to address the recurring issues identified in the Auditor-General’s reports and ensure that personnel who leave the service are promptly removed from the national payroll, thereby safeguarding public funds.