'Ghost names' designed by successive gov'ts to rob the state - Tax Expert

A tax and finance expert, Mr. Cudjoe Akpadie says the existence of 'ghost names' on our payroll is a deliberate and calculated attempt by successive governments to steal from the state.

According to the outspoken anti-corruption campaigner, politicians purposely designed 'ghost names' to loot and steal from the state.

He was responding to President Nana Akufo-Addo's revelation at the May Day parade that through a payroll audit conducted by the Ministry of Finance in the last two months, some 26,589 workers’ salaries have been suspended from the April 2017 payroll.

The president said: ‘’I want to bring another important reform to your notice. Through a payroll audit conducted by the Ministry of Finance, under the impressive leadership of Ken Ofori-Atta, in the last two months, some twenty six thousand five hundred and eighty nine workers’ salaries have been suspended from the April 2017 payroll.’’

According to him, ‘’these "workers" have not come forward to be biometrically verified by SSNIT, despite numerous calls by the Controller and Accountant General to do so. The idea of biometric verification is essentially to isolate ghost names from the payroll.’’

‘’The cost of maintaining these twenty six thousand five hundred and eighty nine names on government payroll is thirty six million, one hundred and sixty six thousand, two hundred and three Ghana cedis per month. This means that Government stands to save the country over four hundred and thirty three million Ghana cedis on this year’s budget alone by this exercise,’’ he stated.

But speaking to Kwame Tutu on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm, Mr. Akpadie said, ''Is not only this government or previous government, all the governments; that's what has been happening. 'Ghost names' are designed by politicians and governments in power intentionally to loot the nation and we all sit down because as for fraudulent practices, they are everywhere.''

The problem he insisted persist because government do not have the political will to deal with it. To help solve the problem, he said, ''we need somebody who will stand up and have the clout and the tenacity to deal with it. I haven't found it- We need somebody who will not be controlled by any political party of financiers of political parties...The political arrangement we have now will make it difficult,'' he said.

He also questioned what will happen to those who orchestrated or manipulated the system with the 'ghost names' adding, ''it was good that President Akufo-Addo touted his success in the removal of ghost names but what will happen to the offenders? Are they going to be punished?