The Office of the Auditor-General has issued a formal correction and apology following an error in its Nationwide Payroll Audit Report that wrongly linked a public servant, Mr. Frank Oliver Kpodo, to an alleged unearned salary payment of GH¢427,995,661.40.

In a press release dated April 21, 2026, the Audit Service said it had noted with grave concern media publications citing Mr. Kpodo as having received the amount based on the Auditor-General’s report covering the period January 1, 2023, to June 30, 2025.

According to the Office, the figure attributed to Mr. Kpodo resulted from a transpositional error in the report. It clarified that the amount in question actually relates to the Ministry of Education, specifically in respect of 3,476 unaccounted-for staff identified during the payroll audit exercise.

“We offer our most sincere and unreserved apologies to Mr. Frank Oliver Kpodo for the distress and unwarranted public scrutiny this error may have caused,” the statement said.

The Office of the Auditor-General also extended its apology to the Government and people of Ghana, as well as the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department, over the mistake.

Attached to the correction was a revised summary of entities captured in the audit, showing the Ministry of Education with the disputed amount of GH¢427.9 million, far exceeding figures recorded for other institutions.

Other agencies listed in the corrected summary include the Judicial Service, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, and the Electoral Commission.

The clarification comes after public debate and media attention surrounding the original report, with many questioning how such a large amount could have been paid to a single individual.

The Auditor-General’s correction is expected to calm concerns while renewing calls for stronger data verification and quality control in official audit publications.