GH¢548million ghost names scandal hits national service scheme – Attorney General
The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has exposed what he describes as a “criminal enterprise” within the National Service Scheme (NSS) that cost the Ghanaian state over GH¢548 million through the use of ghost names and systemic payroll fraud.
Addressing journalists at a press briefing in Accra on Friday, June 13, 2025, Dr Ayine revealed that the investigation—undertaken as part of the government’s Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) initiative—has uncovered an alleged nationwide fraud scheme involving top-level NSS officials, including district directors, payroll officers, and the CEO of the scheme.
“In the 2022/2023 service year, GH¢350,926,977.12 was lost to the state. For the 2023/2024 service year, GH¢32,881,157.07 was lost to the Republic. In total, as stated, we lost about GH¢548,333,542.65 to the criminal enterprise perpetrated by these executives, directors, and staff, as well as the service providers in the market,” Dr Ayine disclosed.
Attorney General provides breakdown of monies stolen in the National Service ghost names scandal. In the 2022/2023 service year alone,GHS 350 million was stolen. Total amount stolen is GHS 548,333,542. pic.twitter.com/rw6WBg8QE3
— Felix Kwakye Ofosu (@FelixKwakyeOfo1) June 13, 2025
The fraudulent operation allegedly involved the insertion of 81,885 fake names—referred to as ghost names—into the NSS payroll system. These names were supported with forged index and ID numbers and used to divert allowances meant for genuine national service personnel.
According to the Attorney General, “The criminal enterprise that resulted in the loss of this colossal sum of money involved the creation of ghost names in the NSA payroll system by some directors and staff, which was subsequently exploited to misappropriate state funds for their gain.”
Dr Ayine further indicated that some of the funds were directly rerouted into personal accounts, while others were shared among collaborating officials. “Before each service year, NSS directors submitted lump-sum payments to bolster the payroll. These sums were then redistributed via ghost accounts—cementing the scheme as recurring and institutionalised,” he said.
At its peak, the operation is believed to have generated over GH¢50 million per month in fraudulent payouts. Evidence also points to high-level bribery, including an incident in November 2024, where money was allegedly paid to a Member of Parliament to suppress media coverage of the scandal.
The revelations come in the wake of a presidential directive from President John Dramani Mahama, instructing the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) to probe the NSS after the initial discovery of more than 8,000 ghost names on the payroll.
Dr Ayine stated that the culprits operated during the administration of former President Akufo-Addo, and described the conduct of the implicated officials as a betrayal of public trust.
The Attorney General assured the public that prosecutions will follow swiftly and that the government remains resolute in its commitment to tackling corruption. He pledged that stolen funds would be recovered and those responsible held accountable.
