President John Dramani Mahama has announced a crackdown on individuals involved in the National Service ‘ghost names’ scandal, a major case of financial fraud that has cost Ghana millions of cedis in stolen public funds. Delivering the State of the Nation Address on Thursday, February 27, President Mahama disclosed that he has instructed investigative bodies to trace and freeze the assets of all persons suspected to be involved in the fraudulent scheme.

Additionally, those who have fled the country will be declared wanted as part of efforts to ensure full accountability and recovery of stolen funds.

“As part of Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL), I have already tasked our investigative bodies to bring the culprits of the National Service ghost names to justice. Such brazen theft of public funds must not go unpunished. It is estimated that more than 80,000 ghost names could have yielded the suspects over GH¢50 million every month.

“Unfortunately some of these suspects have absconded the country already and I have directed that they be declared wanted and their assets traced and frozen until investigations are completed.”

The scandal, which was uncovered following a nationwide audit of the National Service Authority (NSA), involved the inclusion of thousands of fake names on the payroll, a fraudulent scheme that enabled corrupt officials to siphon funds meant for genuine National Service personnel. Investigations revealed that high-ranking officials within the NSS, district directors, and payroll administrators were colluding to create fictitious personnel, allowing them to withdraw salaries on behalf of non-existent workers.