It said it took the decision after its internal audit showed that thousands of beneficiaries of YEA were being fraudulently paid.

[contextly_sidebar id=”wDe6LTvA4tFsUDJYvGPLO8OWs3uKw1Cc”]According to the acting Chief Executive of the YEA, Justine Kodua Frimpong, it initiated investigations into the payroll of YEA after it noticed some discrepancies in the report handed to it by the managers under the previous administration.

Presenting details of the findings from the audit to the press on Wednesday, June 7, Mr. Kodua Frimpong said some 2,716 beneficiaries did not have appointment letters, while 9,442 beneficiaries were above the required age.

Another group of 4,681 beneficiaries also vacated their post, while 14,443 beneficiaries were simply non-existent. Some 11,512 beneficiaries were also without the assumption of duty letters yet were receiving money from the Agency.

Justine Kodua Frimpong, said the country has been saved from paying GH¢20 million to the illegitimate beneficiaries by deleting their names from the payroll.

“A total of 16,839 beneficiaries have been deleted from the payroll, and this has saved the taxpayer as much as twenty million, two hundred and six thousand, eight hundred cedis. However, in respect of the last two (ie. Beneficiaries without assumption of duty letters and non-existing beneficiaries,) management has given itself a month, to address issues regarding their status,” he said.

GH¢50m payroll fraud uncovered at YEA

In totality, he said the huge payroll fraud has cost the country about GH¢50 million. The amount, according to the findings of the report, is an aggregation of unearned allowances paid to unposted beneficiaries, funds for official use which were paid into personal accounts, as well as procurements without adherence to due process.

He noted that, further investigation will be conducted into the matter to ensure that persons who are found guilty in the fraudulent activity will be dealt with according to law.

He has however given the assurance that his outfit’s operations will not be impeded by the challenges, adding that it is currently collaborating with the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations to ensure tighter internal control mechanism to prevent a recurrence.

Earlier this year, YEA suspended the payment of allowances to over 60,000 beneficiaries on suspicion of discrepancies in the report handed to it by the managers under the previous administration.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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