Recover GH¢800,000 Salary Irregularities Within 90 Days – PAC orders KTU
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has directed the management of Koforidua Technical University (KTU) to recover GH¢800,000 in salary-related infractions within 90 days or risk personally refunding the amount.
The directive follows findings in the Auditor-General’s Report, which revealed that five staff members of the university had been receiving salaries for nearly two years despite being absent from duty. Some of the affected individuals were reportedly abroad or on study leave without proper authorization.
Appearing before the Committee on Thursday, November 6, 2025, the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Professor Richard Ohene Asiedu, said the university had taken steps to trace the affected staff, some of whom were on partial study leave or had already left the institution.
“We have been making efforts to contact some of the lecturers, who are either out of the country or pursuing studies. So far, out of the total amount owed, the university has been able to recover less than GH¢20,000,” he told the Committee.
However, the Committee expressed strong dissatisfaction with the university’s handling of the issue, describing it as a clear case of negligence and weak internal controls.
The Deputy Chairman of PAC, Samuel Atta Mills, criticized the university for allowing such irregularities to persist and for failing to enforce accountability measures.
“This is government money, our money. GH¢817,000 on separated staff, and yet you cannot contact any of these people or produce a payment plan. It looks to me like planned chaos,” he said.
He further noted that three out of the five affected staff members had not signed bonds of agreement requiring them to return after their study leave, describing the situation as “a conspiracy to defraud the state.”
Mr. Atta Mills subsequently issued a 90-day ultimatum to the university to recover the outstanding funds, warning that management would be held personally responsible if the directive was not complied with.
“We will make it easier for you. We want you to collect these monies in 90 days. However you do it with all your lapses and everything you have guarantors out there. Within 90 days, we want our money,” he said.
