Ken Attafuah to refund GH₵98k used for SSNIT penalty – PAC

The Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Prof. Kenneth Attafuah has been instructed by the Public Accounts Committee, to return more than GHc98,000 that was withheld from the Authority’s account as a fine for the tardy transfer of Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) contributions.

Due to its delay in remitting SSNIT contributions, the NIA used Authority funds to pay the fine.

From the Auditor General’s report, the Public Accounts Committee has instructed that Prof. Ken Attafuah and the financial controller must bear an additional cost tied to the penalty.

The NIA’s Executive Secretary was given one month to repay the money at a Wednesday, February 7 appearance before the Public Accounts Committee.

“The recommendation is that you should refund the money, the money should be refunded from the Chief Executive and Financial Controller. You have come to explain why you did not pay the money you withheld to SSNIT but the committee will not accept your explanation,” the committee reprimanded.

Defending himself, Prof. Kenneth Attafuah explained that lack of funding was the reason for the SSNIT contribution payment delay.

He told the committee, “Mr Chairman, the payments of the penalty arose from the delay in the release of funds and this has resulted in the Authority’s inability to promptly pay SSNIT contributions on behalf of the temporary staff whose deductions have been made. The Authority was owing the salaries of temporary staff from January to March 2022. The first quarter funds were only released on April 19, 2022. And the settlement of the salary was promptly made, I mean it was prioritised, because the staff were already agitating on the field, not having been paid for three months.”

“Therefore, we prioritised the payments of their wages. There were insufficient funds to fully cater for their salaries for the expenditure of the stated salaries as well as the SSNIT contributions. We prioritised their payments as soon as we received funds, which was the following month, May. We paid off our obligations to SSNIT.” The NIA boss added.