By The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has filed charges against six government officials for their alleged involvement in a payroll fraud scheme. The accused, who worked with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD), are charged with corruption of a public officer and corruption by a public officer.
The accused—Yakubu Tahidu, Abdulai Abukari Sadic, Sammy Suuk, Mohammed Yusif Jay, Stafford Korletey Azudey-Barres, and Osman Issahaku—face 17 counts of corruption, alleged to have caused financial loss to the state.
This case arose from a referral by National Security, which alleged that Yakubu Tahidu, though no longer a teacher, continued to receive salaries while employed at another government agency. The remaining accused are alleged to have knowingly facilitated or failed to prevent the fraudulent payments.
Yakubu Tahidu, formerly a teacher at Balogu M/A JHS, is accused of illegally receiving salaries after vacating his post to join the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC).
Abdulai Abukari Sadic, the Yendi Municipal IPPD Coordinator, and Sammy Suuk, a Schools Improvement Support Officer, are accused of facilitating salary validations for the first accused.
Mohammed Yusif Jay, the former headteacher of Balogu M/A JHS, allegedly validated the salaries despite being reassigned to another school.
Stafford Korletey Azudey-Barres, an Assistant Chief Accounts Technician at the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department, is alleged to have aided the processing of fraudulent payments.
Osman Issahaku, the current headteacher of Balogu M/A JHS, is accused of continuing to validate the irregular payments.
