Ex-Ghana Standards Authority boss received double salary for 6-years – Audit report

• Dr. Crentsil is reported to have received a double salary including allowances of GH¢342,068.70

• The Auditor-General’s Department has begun processes to retrieve the money

• The GSA has also been charged for authorizing the payment 

The 2020 report of the Auditor-General’s Department has revealed that former Executive Director of the Ghana Standards Authority, Dr. George Ben-Crentsil, received a double salary for six years.

The report found that while in active service at the institution between January 2011 and January 2017, Dr. Crentsil, received double of his salary with allowances up to a tune of GH¢342,068.70.

The Auditor-General’s Department has, however, notified Dr. Crentsil to return the state’s money and avail himself for verification.

The report said, “Dr. George Ben Crentsil, the former Executive Director, was paid double salary-related allowances of GH¢342,068.70 by the Authority from January 2011 to January 2017. We recommended to Management to take the necessary steps to recover GH¢342,068.70 wrongly paid to Dr. George Ben Crentsil, the former Executive Director and our office informed for verification.”

This is not the first time Dr. Crentsil’s name is surfacing in an audit report for an alleged wrongdoing.

Dr. George Ben-Crentsil was accused of misappropriating over GH1.6 million and receiving over $1 million in bribe payments while at the Ghana Standards Authority in 2018.

He was accused of receiving $1.2 million from Lemet Construction Company, the business to whom he granted a contract to develop a new training school and dormitory facility for the GSA under the previous NDC administration.

The Ghana Standards Authority’s Board of Directors have also been charged for authorizing the payment of GH291,570.12 to the Director-General as salary and related allowances for the period June 2017 to December 2017 in the current Audit Service report.

The Auditor-General’s Department recommends, “the Board to seek retrospective approval from the Ministry of Finance to ratify the salary and the related allowances paid to the Director-General.”