Former Deputy Director of the National Service Authority (NSA), Gifty Oware-Mensah, has been granted bail following her detention by the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) over allegations of payroll fraud during her tenure.
Sources within the NIB confirmed to that Oware-Mensah, who also serves as an Executive Council member of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), was released on Saturday after several hours of interrogation. However, the specific terms of her bail remain undisclosed.
Her arrest comes in the wake of an ongoing investigation into the alleged embezzlement of funds at the NSA, particularly fraudulent payroll activities that took place under her administration. The case has garnered significant public interest, with many closely monitoring developments surrounding her alleged involvement in the scandal.
The NIB’s investigation focuses on claims that thousands of ghost names were fraudulently added to the National Service payroll, costing the state millions in allowances. The government recently uncovered a significant payroll discrepancy, revealing that 81,885 suspected ghost names had inflated the payroll figures.
Current data indicates that there are 98,145 active service personnel, a stark contrast to the 180,030 names submitted for allowance payments in 2024.
“This figure is 81,885 less than the 180,030 names presented by the previous management of the Authority for allowance payment in 2024,” a government statement noted.
The flagged names suggest a potential large-scale financial malpractice, with estimates indicating the state may have lost approximately GH₵50 million per month. The duration of the alleged scheme remains unclear.
As the former Deputy Executive Director in charge of Administration and Finance at the NSA, Oware-Mensah is expected to play a key role in the ongoing investigations.
In a related development, the NIB recently detained and questioned Kwaku Ohene Djan, another former Deputy Executive Director of the NSA, over similar allegations. Reports from The Fourth Estate suggest that top NSA officials orchestrated a fraudulent scheme, creating thousands of ghost names and accounts to siphon public funds through unauthorized monthly allowance payments.
The investigation continues as authorities seek to unravel the full extent of the alleged payroll fraud and hold those responsible accountable.
