An Auditor-General report examining the Inmates Support Programme between January 2020 and May 2025 has exposed the Ghana Prisons Service for diverting funds meant for prisoners engaged in the Clean Ghana Project.
Inmates earned GHS277,625 in motivation allowances under a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Prisons Service and Zoomlion Ghana Limited in March 2019.
Although Zoomlion transferred the full amount into the Ghana Prisons Service Commercial Venture Account, management diverted GHS55,000 into unapproved expenditure, including a funeral donation to Zoomlion’s Chief Executive Officer, bus maintenance, swivel chairs, day-old chicks, printer toner, and drinking water for a United Nations Day event.
The audit further uncovered systematic deductions from inmate feeding allowances.
Whilst Zoomlion paid between GHS8 and GHS10 daily per prisoner, the Prisons Service deducted GHS3 per head throughout the period, citing tool maintenance and water purchases—claims unsupported by receipts.
Escorting prison officers, however, received their full allowances.
Authorities kept inmates ignorant of their entitled daily motivation rates, which rose from GHS5 in 2019 to GHS20 by 2023.
Chronic delays by Zoomlion in settling weekly invoices meant payments for work conducted between July and September 2024 arrived months later in November.
Consequently, many convicts finished their terms without receiving their earnings.
The report discovered that 158 participating inmates from the James Camp Prison in Accra were discharged empty-handed between January 2024 and May 2025.
The Auditor-General concluded that weak financial controls crippled the rehabilitation scheme, depriving inmates of vital income needed during custody and essential savings for post-release reintegration into society.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana