Ghost Workers at MOICE JKM
The 2024 Auditor-General’s Report has exposed serious payroll irregularities at the Ministry of Information and Civic Education, revealing that public funds were paid to staff who could not be physically verified.
The audit found that eight individuals listed on the Ministry’s payroll failed to present themselves for physical verification during the audit period. Despite this, salaries amounting to NLe 368,595.84 were paid to the individuals, raising concerns over the possible existence of ghost workers and weak internal controls.
The Auditor-General recommended that the Ministry’s Director of Human Resources ensure the immediate verification of the affected staff. The report warned that failure to verify their status should lead to the recovery of the salaries paid and the transfer of the funds into the Consolidated Fund.
In response, management of the Ministry acknowledged discrepancies in the payroll. Two of the individuals, identified by pin codes 128090 and 139970, were confirmed as legitimate staff whose names appear on both the Ministry’s approved staff list and the government payroll.
Management further disclosed that one individual was erroneously captured on the Ministry’s payroll despite being a staff member of the Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation, attributing the issue to an administrative lapse.
More significantly, the Ministry admitted that the remaining five individuals were not staff of the Ministry. Management said it has written to the Human Resource Management Office (HRMO) to address the anomalies and align payroll records accordingly.
However, the Auditor-General noted that while three individuals were physically verified, the Ministry failed to provide justification or documentary evidence for the continued payment of salaries to the remaining five individuals, whose annual gross salaries total NLe 130,932.
The findings add to growing concerns over payroll management in public institutions and underscore the need for stronger oversight to safeguard public resources.
