A teacher’s admission sparked laughter when he confessed to spending GH₵15,000 of an unearned salary during a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) sitting.
A Principal Superintendent with the Ghana Education Service (GES) in the Gomoa West District, Emmanuel Samson, revealed that he knowingly received an overpayment of GH₵46,735.09, although he was only entitled to GH₵30,763.71 for his service from October 2017 to October 2019.
Mr. Samson, who teaches at Akropong Number One DA JHS, admitted to the committee that he had already spent the extra GH₵15,000 before realizing the overpayment.
Despite his efforts to repay the funds, financial difficulties prevented him from completing the repayment after making two initial payments.
During the hearing, Samson committed to repaying the remaining balance using an investment worth GH₵18,000 that he had set aside.
The PAC Chairman, James Klutse Avedzi, urged Samson to retrieve his investment and complete the repayment at the prevailing Bank of Ghana rates by the end of the month.
“The instruction is that at the end of the month, go for your investment, go and clear all the balance, all that is left is for you,” Mr. Avedzi said.
To which Mr. Samson replied: “Yes, I have heard you boss”.
Mr Avedzi added: “Don’t go for the investment and come back and say there is another problem so you can’t. Make sure you pay. if you don’t we will ask the auditors to take full action because what you did is actually criminal but we will leave that aspect, we will allow you to go for the investment and pay the money”.
The PAC is tasked with scrutinizing the accounts of public institutions, and such cases of financial discrepancies often come under its review.
Public Account Committee Sitting: “Yes, I chopped the money” – GES officer confesses to receiving GHC 15K salary overpayment.#JoyNews pic.twitter.com/XcPv4f1KGU
— JoyNews (@JoyNewsOnTV) August 20, 2024
ALSO READ: