CAGD dismisses GH¢427m ‘unearned salary’s claims as impossible under Ghana’s payroll system

The Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) has firmly rejected social media claims that a senior official at the Ministry of Defence received GH¢427 million in unearned salaries over a 29-month period, describing the allegations as misleading and technically impossible under the government’s current payroll framework.

The claims, which emerged from an April 20 publication by The Fourth Estate, alleged that the payments—averaging more than GH¢14 million per month—were captured in a recent Auditor‑General’s report covering January 2023 to June 2025.

But in a detailed response issued on Monday, the CAGD said Ghana’s public payroll system is built on layered controls and automation that would flag and block any such irregularity.

“The Government payroll system runs on controls and automations which allow only approved pay structures by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission to be processed for employees eligible under their conditions of service,” the department stated.

According to the CAGD, monthly salaries are paid only after online validation by heads of the various covered entities. Additional internal checks then examine each payment against acceptable ranges, focusing on monthly variances, conditions of service, above‑range analysis, and bank payment validations.

“It is therefore impossible under the current payroll arrangement to pay a government employee salary in excess of what is legally due that employee,” the CAGD emphasised.

The department also urged media houses and the public to verify such claims before publication, noting that it maintains an open‑door policy for fact‑checking.

“We expect that any such claims should be verified before publication,” the statement added.