A former Deputy Director of the National Service Authority (NSA), Gifty Oware-Mensah, has been granted bail following her detention by the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) over the allegations of payroll fraud during her tenure at the Authority.
Sources at the NIB confirmed to JoyNews that Oware-Mensah, who is also an Executive Council member of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), was discharged on Saturday after several hours of questioning.
Read also: NSA scandal: NIB detains Gifty Oware-Mensah
However, the specific terms of her bail remain unclear.
Oware-Mensah’s arrest follows a widely reported investigation into the alleged embezzlement of funds at the NSA, specifically relating to fraudulent payroll activities that occurred while she was in office.
The case has attracted considerable public attention, with many closely watching the developments surrounding the former NSA official’s involvement in the scandal.
As of now, it remains uncertain when further legal proceedings will take place. She’s the second NSA former official to have been questioned over the matter.
Background
The government says it has uncovered a significant discrepancy in the National Service payroll, revealing 81,885 suspected ghost names.
This figure represents the difference between the actual number of active personnel and the payroll data submitted by the previous management of the National Service Authority (NSA).
According to the latest findings, there are currently 98,145 active service personnel, a stark contrast to the 180,030 names presented for allowance payment in 2024.
The 81,885 names that have been flagged as potentially fraudulent or inflated could represent a major misuse of public funds.
This follows an investigative report on the NSA in 2023 by the Fourth Estate, an anti-corruption media organisation under the auspices of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA).
According to the report, top officials of the NSA created thousands of ghost names and accounts presented as persons serving the nation under the scheme and collecting monthly allowances through this account which ends up in their personal pockets.
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