Six individuals have been convicted by the High Court in Tamale for their involvement in a payroll corruption scheme within the Ghana Education Service, which saw the fraudulent inclusion of ghost names and unlawful salary payments.
The convictions followed guilty pleas under the Office of the Special Prosecutor’s (OSP) plea bargaining framework, resulting in full restitution and reparation to the State.
The convicted parties include school administrators, payroll officers, and accountants who helped validate and reactivate the salary of a teacher who had left his position. Their actions led to the wrongful payment of over GHS 86,000, all of which has now been recovered, bringing the total amount retrieved to GHS 106,319.64.
According to a February post by the OSP on social media platform X, the case stemmed from a referral by National Security, which flagged that the first accused, Yakubu Tahidu—a former teacher—continued receiving salaries despite no longer teaching and working for another government agency. The other accused individuals are said to have either knowingly facilitated or failed to prevent the fraudulent payments.
A summary of the facts from the OSP reveals that Yakubu Tahidu, formerly a teacher at Balogu M/A JHS, is accused of illegally receiving salaries after leaving his teaching position to join the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC). Abdulai Abukari Sadic, the Yendi Municipal IPPD Coordinator, and Sammy Suuk, a Schools Improvement Support Officer, are accused of facilitating salary validations for Tahidu.
Mohammed Yusif Jay, the former headteacher of Balogu M/A JHS, allegedly validated the payments even after being reassigned to another school. Stafford Korletey Azudey-Barres, an Assistant Chief Accounts Technician at the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department, is accused of assisting in processing the fraudulent payments. Osman Issahaku, the current headteacher of Balogu M/A JHS, is also alleged to have continued authorizing the irregular salary payments.
The OSP has stated that it is continuing to investigate other suspects as part of a broader inquiry.
Additionally, the OSP is currently handling six other criminal trials in Accra, Tamale, and Kumasi, as it intensifies its efforts to charge more individuals under investigation and protect public funds.
