NIB questions former NSA boss Osei Assibey over ghost names scandal

The former Executive Director of the National Service Authority (NSA) Osei Assibey Antwi, is the latest to be questioned by the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) as it probes the ghost names scandal that reportedly occurred under the former managers of the National Service Scheme (NSS).

He’s the next past official to be interrogated after a former Deputy Director in charge of Finance and administration, Gifty Oware-Mensah was picked up for questioning upon her arrival into the country from abroad.

Before Gifty Oware-Mensah, the NIB detained and questioned Kwaku Ohene Djan, also a former Deputy Executive Director of the National Service Authority, over the raging allegations.

According to sources Mr Osei Assibey appeared before the NIB on Thursday, March 20, accompanied by his lawyer after an invitation was extended to him to appear before the investigative body.

He was reportedly quizzed for several hours over the alleged fraudulent enlistment of non-existent personnel onto the NSA payroll.

It is not clear whether he was immediately released after the probe.

The NIB launched its investigations following an exposé by The Fourth Estate, which uncovered widespread irregularities within the scheme.

The NIB probed 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,” a government statement said.

The 81,885 names that have been flagged as potentially fraudulent or inflated could represent a major misuse of public funds.

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.

source: myjoyonline.com