The Ombudsman Commission received a complaint from a graduate primary school teacher in a District. The graduate teacher alleged that unpaid lost salaries from 2017 to 2018 were paid into a ghost account with a Bank under the pretence of the teacher’s name.
The Commission commenced an investigation into the matter with the responsible government department in 2022.
In March 2023, the information gathered by the Commission from the Bank revealed that a total of K19,671.77 was deposited into an unknown account by certain officials in the responsible government department. By the time the Bank was alerted and the unknown account halted, K6,500.51 had already been used.
With the Commission’s intervention, a cheque payment in the amount of K13,141.26 was raised and deposited into the teacher’s genuine bank account on 21 November 2023. The remaining balance of K6,500.51 was later reimbursed by the government department responsible and remitted to the teacher’s account on Pay No. 24 of 2023.
On 29 November 2023, the teacher confirmed receiving a total payment of K19,641.77 with proof of bank account statements. The teacher expressed great satisfaction with the successful outcome of the investigation and acknowledged the important role played by the Commission.