The Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) has refuted social media allegations suggesting that a senior civil servant within the Ministry of Defence received unearned salaries amounting to GH¢427 million over a 29-month period.
Asserting the integrity of national financial protocols, the department clarified that the architecture of Ghana’s payroll system renders such a transaction “impossible”.
This clarification follows a report by the online news portal The Fourth Estate, which linked the CAGD to findings in a recent auditor-general’s report spanning January 2023 to June 2025.
The publication suggested that the official in question had been paid an average monthly salary exceeding GH¢14 million in unauthorised funds.
However, in a formal statement released on 20 April 2026, the CAGD categorically dismissed these claims.
The department explained that the national payroll operates within a rigid framework of automated controls.
According to the statement, “The Government of Ghana payroll system runs on controls and automations which allow only approved pay structures by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission to be processed for employees eligible under their conditions of service.”
The department further elaborated that salary processing involves multiple tiers of validation.
This includes mandatory authorisation from the heads of covered entities alongside rigorous internal audits specifically designed to identify irregularities and intercept potential overpayments.
The CAGD noted that “monthly salaries are paid to eligible employees on the Government of Ghana payroll after online validation… These monthly payments are further subjected to internal quality processes to validate each salary payment.”
Beyond these validations, the system incorporates advanced safeguards such as variance analysis, the verification of specific conditions of service, and reconciliation at the banking level to maintain absolute accuracy.
Consequently, the department maintained that “It is therefore impossible under the current payroll arrangement to pay a government employee a salary in excess of what is legally due that employee.”
CAGD also urged media organisations to ensure that such significant claims are thoroughly verified before they are brought to the public domain.
The department emphasised the necessity for heightened caution and professional diligence when reporting on sensitive financial matters that involve the management of public funds.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
