Payroll fraud hits Armed Forces - Andy Kankam alleges

The Editor of the Informer newspaper, Andy Kankam, has alleged that the Forces Pay Regiment (FPR) formerly known as Forces Pay Office, is sinking under a very heavy weight of unprecedented levels of blatant stealing of state resources.

He was speaking to Kwame Tutu, on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM following a publication in his Monday’s edition of the Informer newspaper under the headline, ‘’Alarm Blow! NPP’s Stinking Corruption Eats Into Armed Forces –Multi million Fraud Unconverted At Pay Regime.’’

According to him, the investigation conducted by him has revealed that, the fraud being perpetrated has to do with the payroll of the Armed Forces. He also alleged that some dead persons still have their names on the payroll of the Ghana Armed Forces and, on a monthly basis, huge sums of monies are paid into some selected banks.

Andy Kankam said the paper is holding on to names of the officers and civilian collaborators and the specific banks involved in the allege fraud.

He has since promised to release the names of the officers in subsequent publications.

The outspoken news editor said, he was scandalized especially when the current President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo campaigned in 2016 on corruption and his readiness to fight the canker.

The NPP he said lambasted the former NDC administration and accused the former President, John Dramani Mahama of being corrupt. Andy Kankam referring to the publication said, the Data Centre located at the Headquarters of the Armed Forces, been fingered as the base unit which is using its information technology system to support the payroll fraud that is being condoned by some senior officers.

He added that, some senior officers who are sympathizers of the ruling government, are also preventing a report captured on the saga to be released.

This is being perpetrated by a cartel. A board was instituted to investigate and after concluding their investigations and presented their report to the Minister of Defence but he has failed to released the report, he said.

The Minister is sitting on the report because the report is stinking to the extent that, some officers who are known to be sympathizers of the NPP, are part of the looting and the Minister is finding it difficult, to release the report. This has brought tension at the Ghana Armed Forces, he alleged.

He said, when we start releasing documents of corruption under this administration, Ghanaians will weep.