A former Procurement Director at Ghana’s Ministry of Defence, Frank Oliver Kpodo, has been cited in a major payroll audit for allegedly receiving GH¢427 million in unearned salaries over a 29-month period.
Kpodo, who is currently serving as Director of Finance and Administration at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, had earlier appeared before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on March 31, 2026, over separate allegations involving the falsification of documents tied to a GH¢4.8 million deal for six undelivered election vehicles.
His name has resurfaced following a new investigation by The Fourth Estate, which draws on findings from a recent Auditor-General’s report examining government payroll systems between January 2023 and June 2025.
The audit, conducted by the Ghana Audit Service, sought to evaluate controls designed to ensure that only legitimate public sector employees receive salaries. However, the report points to widespread irregularities, describing a system that allowed significant financial leakages.
According to the findings, more than 6,000 government employees collectively received over GH¢800 million in unearned salaries during the period under review.
Kpodo alone is alleged to have received GH¢427 million, more than half of the total flagged amount.
The figure far exceeds the Ministry of Transport’s reported annual budget allocation of GH¢151 million.
In its 2025 Payroll Audit Report, the Auditor-General recommended that the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department immediately remove Kpodo and other implicated individuals from the government payroll.
“Principal Spending Officers should discontinue the validation of these individuals and recover the total amount of GH¢801,808,427.04 as unearned salaries paid to them,” the report stated.
Responding to the findings, Kpodo described the claims as “worrying and surprising,” insisting he could not “imagine how that can happen.”
Why Dafeamekpor is calling for interdiction of ex-Ministry of Defence official
He maintained that his salaries were processed through the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department with verifiable pay slips and said he was unaware of any irregularities.
Kpodo further explained that salary validation at the Ministry of Defence is handled by the Human Resource unit and the Chief Director’s office, adding that he had not been contacted by the Audit Service regarding the matter.
The revelations have intensified scrutiny over public sector payroll management, with calls for stricter controls and accountability as authorities move to recover the funds.
