NSS Scandal: Attorney-General commends The Fourth Estate for diligent work

The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, has praised The Fourth Estate for its groundbreaking investigation on the National Service Scheme (NSS) ghost names scandal.

He described the exposé by the team as an excellent foundation for ongoing criminal investigations by his office.

Addressing journalists at a press briefing in Accra on Friday, June 13, 2025, Dr. Ayine said, “The now famous National Service scandal, which was first uncovered by The Fourth Estate through its investigative journalism, formed a major plank of the oral report.”

The Ministry expressed gratitude to The Fourth Estate.

“My office is extremely grateful to The Fourth Estate for the excellent foundational work that they did,” he reiterated.

The Minister added that his office is charging some individuals, including former directors, staff of the NSS, and vendors, for draining the State of millions of Ghana cedis through ghost names.

The Fourth Estate investigation at the NSS revealed widespread corruption and payroll fraud, where tens of thousands of fictitious names were used to siphon millions of Ghana cedis from the State.

The findings showed that individuals not enrolled in national service, including the elderly, foreigners, and deceased persons, were fraudulently listed on payrolls. In one striking case, the name of a Kenyan man appeared on the payroll as an active service person.

On December 2, 2024, hours before the first part of the series of investigative reports on the scandal, a court bailiff served the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), the parent organisation of The Fourth Estate, with an injunction order from the High Court.

This legal move followed The Fourth Estate’s public announcement that it was set to release a series of investigative stories on the National Service Scheme (NSS). Unbeknownst to The Fourth Estate, the NSS had filed an injunction application earlier that same day and obtained a court order in a manner that excluded the media organisation from the proceedings, effectively attempting to block the publication at the last minute.

The MFWA petitioned the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and the Operation Recover All loot (ORAL) team with its findings of the scandal.

Following the petition, a nationwide audit by the State revealed that over 81,000 ghost names were on the NSS payroll, resulting in an estimated GH¢112 million in losses in just one service year.

Further investigations by the Office of the Attorney General have revealed that from 2018 to 2024, the scheme lost over GH¢548 million to fraudulent payments.

The scandal implicated former top officials of the National Service Scheme, as well as individuals within the Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GHIPSS), which manages the payroll system.

The Attorney-General disclosed that a total of 34 individuals have so far been implicated in the scandal. Of these, 12 key suspects—including some current and former officials of the NSS—are expected to be charged formally by early July 2025.

The AG’s office says it has adopted a two-pronged approach: prosecution and recovery. While the key suspects are being prepared for prosecution, others who cooperated with investigations and returned stolen funds have been given the opportunity to enter plea-bargaining agreements in exchange for lighter sentences or serving as prosecution witnesses.

Dr. Ayine noted that the state remains committed to retrieving stolen funds and ensuring that those who looted public resources are brought to justice.