GH¢124,552 in wrongly paid salary arrears recovered from 23 immigration officers

Story by: Regina Bless

The Minister for the Interior, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, has disclosed that GH¢124,552 in wrongly paid salary arrears to 23 Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) officers has been fully recovered and paid into the Auditor-General’s recoveries account.

The recovery follows an audit that uncovered irregularities in salary arrears paid to the officers stationed at the Elubo post, who were promoted to the rank of Assistant Immigration Control Officer I on July 18, 2023.

Speaking before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee on Tuesday, October 20, Mr Muntaka explained that although the officers’ promotion took effect in July 2023, their salary arrears were calculated from March of the same year, resulting in an overpayment of GH¢124,552.

He told the committee that the officers received the arrears as bulk payments, making it difficult for them to determine the exact period covered by the payments.

Following the audit, officials recommended that the commanding officer recover the excess amount, together with interest at the prevailing Bank of Ghana rate, and pay it into the Auditor-General’s recoveries account.

The Interior Minister confirmed that the principal amount had been fully recovered but acknowledged that the payment of interest remained unresolved.

Mr Muntaka argued that it would be unfair to require the officers to pay interest because they had not deliberately misrepresented information or engaged in wrongdoing to obtain the money. He suggested that responsibility for the interest should also be considered in relation to the officials who authorised the payments.

The matter highlights concerns about payroll management and financial accountability within public institutions, as well as the importance of ensuring that salary adjustments are accurately calculated and properly authorised to prevent the misuse of public funds.