Former Standards Authority boss cited for receiving double pay for 6 years

A former executive director of the Ghana Standards Authority, Dr George Ben Crentsil, was cited in a 2020 Auditor General’s report for receiving double pay for 6 years.

According to the report, Dr Crentsil received payment of allowances twice a month from January 2011 to January 2017, amounting to GH ¢ 342,068.70.

The Auditor General’s department therefore asked the Authority to recover the money from Dr Crentsil and inform the office of the former for verification.

“Dr George Ben Crentsil, the former Executive Director, received a double salary related indemnity of 342,068.70 by the Authority from January 2011 to January 2017.

“We recommended that management take the necessary steps to recover 342,068.70 ¢ unduly paid to Dr. George Ben Crentsil, the former executive director and our office briefed for verification,” the report said.

At the same time, the audit service report further revealed that the Ghana Standards Authority Board of Directors authorized the payment of 291,570.12 yen to the Managing Director as salary and related allowances covering the period. from June 2017 to December 2017.

He said the amount was charged against the company’s Internally Generated Fund (IGF), which was in violation of the Withholding of Funds Act 2007 (Act 735).

The report states that it has already “recommended to the board of directors to seek retrospective approval from the finance ministry to ratify the salary and related allowances paid to the director general.”