Former Deputy Director of the National Service Authority (NSA), Gifty Oware-Mensah, has been granted bail after being detained by the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) over her alleged involvement in a staggering payroll fraud scheme during her tenure.
Oware-Mensah, who also serves as an Executive Council member of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), was released on Saturday following hours of intense interrogation.
However, the specific terms of her bail remain undisclosed, raising questions about the transparency of the process.
Her arrest is linked to a high-profile investigation into the embezzlement of millions of cedis through fraudulent payroll activities at the NSA.
Ghost names and stolen millions
The NIB is investigating claims that thousands of ghost names were used to siphon millions of cedis from the National Service Scheme (NSS) payroll during Oware-Mensah’s time in office.
Shockingly, the government has uncovered a discrepancy of 81,885 suspected ghost names on the payroll. These fraudulent entries represent the difference between the actual number of active service personnel (98,145) and the inflated figure of 180,030 names submitted for allowance payments in 2024.
The alleged fraud, which reportedly cost the state a jaw-dropping GHȼ50 million monthly, has exposed deep-rooted corruption within the NSA. As the Deputy Executive Director responsible for administration and finance, Oware-Mensah is expected to play a central role in the ongoing probe.
This scandal follows the recent detention of Kwaku Ohene Djan, another former Deputy Executive Director of the NSA, who was also questioned over similar allegations. Investigations by The Fourth Estate revealed that top NSA officials orchestrated the creation of ghost names and accounts, funneling monthly allowances meant for service personnel into their pockets.
Baba Alhassan Abass/thenewsbulletin24.com