Fraudsters at National Service Secretariat drain gov’t purse

Joy News has uncovered activities of a group of fraudsters  using the National Service postings to steal millions of Ghana cedis from state coffers.

Fred Smith, who uncovered the activities of the gang, reported it has a network of people within the National Service Secretariat to help enlist ghost organizations on the service programme.

At the end of the month, one Alhaji, who is said to be the gang leader, gave personnel he criminally assisted to do their services only half of their service allowance while he and his cohorts share the remaining half.

Alhaji operated from his bedroom at Manhean, an outskirt of Tema and boasts of very strong connections at the service secretariat.

Fred said Alhaji could manipulate national service postings at will, when his victims express readiness to pay for his services.

Alhaji was heard on record claiming he could ensure that personnel got postings to their choice of organization.

He did this by giving out the pin codes of personnel to bosses of organisations to have them posted directly to those institutions to serve their nation.

Through his efforts, he claimed some personnel were posted to Unilever, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GHAPOHA) and the Volta River Authority (VRA).

Under the laws of Ghana, Ghanaian students who graduate from accredited tertiary institutions are required to do a one year national service to the country. Those who undertake the service are paid allowances each month to help with their expenses during the period.

“He is proud of his abilities and supports it with evidence. He makes a telephone call to one of his numerous clients, Freda, and puts the call on loud speaker. Freda should have done her national service last year. But she didn’t do it and went abroad to undertake further studies whilst her colleagues did their service here in Ghana.

"In the records of the National Service Scheme, she’s successfully completed a year’s service to the state. A certificate has been issued in recognition of her work – thanks to Alhaji,” Fred narrated.

Fred continued that Alhaji’s nefarious activity at the service secretariat was one of his numerous businesses.

“His main job is to get his friends at the service secretariat to post as many graduates as possible to him at a remote location in Manhean, Tema. Alhaji’s deal is that, these individuals will not do the service but presents documents to the service secretariat to claim they are at post.

"At the end of the month, Alhaji gives them only half of their service allowance and the other half goes to himself and his business partners.”

Alhaji talks about his customer base and implicates some staff of the National Service office in Tema in an interaction with another service person who accompanied Fred on his mission.

Source: myjoyonline.com