Auditor-General apologises over payroll audit error involving GHc427m claim
The Office of the Auditor-General has issued an apology after acknowledging a major error in its nationwide payroll audit report, which wrongly linked a public servant to an unearned salary of over GH¢427 million.
The clarification follows a payroll audit covering the period January 1, 2023, to June 30, 2025, after media reports cited Frank Oliver Kpodo as having received GH¢427,995,661.40 in unearned salary payments.
The figure was initially referenced in a publication by The Fourth Estate, which suggested that Mr Kpodo had received an average of more than GH¢14 million monthly in questionable payments.
However, in a statement issued on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, the Auditor-General’s office explained that the figure was the result of a transpositional error and was not connected to the individual named in the report.
According to the office, the GH¢427,995,661.40 actually relates to the Ministry of Education and represents 3,476 unaccounted staff identified during the payroll audit.
The Auditor-General’s Department extended an apology to Frank Oliver Kpodo, government institutions, the public, and the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department, acknowledging the distress and reputational damage caused by the mistake.
“We extend our most sincere and unreserved apologies to Frank Oliver Kpodo for the distress and unwarranted public scrutiny this error may have caused,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department has also dismissed social media claims alleging that a senior Ministry of Defence official received GH¢427 million in unearned salaries over 29 months.
The Department insisted that Ghana’s payroll system has strong safeguards designed to prevent such irregularities.
It explained that all salaries are processed through strict controls and automated systems, with only approved pay structures from the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission applied to eligible workers.
It further noted that monthly salaries undergo multiple validation checks, including approvals by heads of institutions and internal quality assurance processes before payments are made.
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