Three doctors surcharged for taking ¢109,705 unearned salaries

The Auditor-General has descended heavily on some three doctors said to have received salaries as at 2013 for no work done.

The three, who previously worked for some public health institutions had moved on, but still had their names on government payroll and had received unearned salaries totaling GH¢109,705.83.


A special report by the Audit Service noted that the three had parted ways with the health institutions they were working with “for periods ranging between one and fourteen months.”

Our audit of the accounts of two Health institutions disclosed that as at December 2013, three persons who had separated from the institutions for periods ranging between one and fourteen months had their names on the payroll and were accordingly paid a total unearned salary of GH¢109,705.83. This was contrary to Regulation 297 and 298 of the FAR, 2004, (L.I. 1802).”

The special report said the doctors have been blocked from receiving further the unearned salaries and have been surcharged “a total amount of GH¢114,453.30 resulting in a total indebtedness of GH¢224,159.13.”

“The Auditor-General, therefore, disallowed the unearned salary of GH¢109,705.83 and surcharged the three persons. Two of the officers, Dr. Otis Sarpong and Dr.Salomey Mensah, however, refunded a total amount of GH¢58,653.49 but were still surcharged for delayed payments.”

According to the report, the third person, Dr. Jacob Yangyouru later refunded GH¢51,618.03 of the indebtedness to EOCO’s account at the Bank of Ghana, leaving a difference of GH¢59,204.58.