High Court convicts six in GES payroll fraud case, over GHc106k recovered

The High Court in Tamale has convicted six people. They were involved in a payroll corruption scheme. This scheme exploited the Ghana Education Service (GES). It used ghost names and fraudulent salary payments.

The convictions came through the Office of the Special Prosecutor’s (OSP) plea bargaining framework. This framework allowed for full restitution and reparation to the State.

The convicted individuals include school administrators, payroll officers, and accountants. They illegally validated and reactivated salaries for a teacher who had left his post long ago.

The convicted individuals are:
- Tahidu Yakubu, former teacher at Balogu M/A Junior High School.
- Abdulai Abubakar Sadic, IPPD Coordinator for Yendi Municipality.
- Sammy Suuk, Schools Improvement Support Officer for Yendi North Circuit.
- Mohammed Yusif Jay, former Headmaster of Balogu JHS.
- Stafford Korletey Azudey-Barres, Assistant Chief Account Technician in Accra.
- Osman Issahaku, current Headmaster of Balogu JHS.

Their actions led to wrongful disbursements exceeding GHc86,000. The OSP has recovered all these funds. In total, they retrieved GHc106,319.64 related to this case.

The OSP stated that this case is part of a larger investigation into payroll corruption. Several additional suspects are being pursued.

In a statement, the OSP mentioned it has six other criminal trials ongoing in Accra, Tamale, and Kumasi. These efforts aim to hold public officers accountable and protect public funds.