Ghana’s President, John Mahama, has ordered an investigation into the operations of the National Service Authority under the former government following the discovery of more than 81,000 suspected ghost names on its payroll.

The ghost names were found following a headcount to clear arrears in allowance payments at the agency, which supervises the mandatory one-year employment placements for graduates.

The finance ministry had released 226 million Ghana cedis for payments of over 98,000 legitimate payees.

Meanwhile, Ghana’s anti-graft agency, the Office of the Special Prosecutor, today declared former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, “a wanted fugitive” in connection with his alleged role in five transactions under investigation for corruption and related offences.