Dead employee withdraws GHc20,000 salary at Lands Commission

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has expressed shock as to how a dead employee of the Lands Commission was able to withdraw salaries amounting to GH¢20, 000.00 for two years.

The PAC at its sitting Tuesday to consider some Auditor-General’s reports for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2012 and 2013 said the Commission was not doing good reconciliation; hence their inability to discover that indeed the employee had passed on and continued to receive pay for two years.

But, Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission, Dr. Wilfried Kwabena Anim-Odame explained that they were waiting for the family members of the deceased staff to inform the Commission about the death of the loved one before they all write to the Controller and Accountant General’s Department to stop paying the employee.

“Naturally when a staff member passes on, we expect the family to officially inform the office and then we take steps to write to the Controller because we still operate under the Controller and Accountant General’s Department.

“We normally will write to the Controller and Accountant General’s Department to inform them about the incident,” he added.

In a related development, the PAC ordered the arrest of Kwaku Sarpong, an auctioneer who failed to account for the sale of the five vehicles of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources in 2010.

Chairman of the Committee, Kweku Agyeman-Manu stated that the auctioneer be reported to the Police for the necessary action to be taken.