CSA Uncovers Discrepancies In Mobile Money Salary Payment

By Decontee M. Wesseh

The Civil Service Agency (CSA) through its payroll sanitization exercise, has uncovered that the Government of Liberia (GoL) lost US$1,683,138.84  and LR$89,372,085.60 annually from salaries disbursement through mobile money transactions.

CSA Director General, Josiah F. Joekai, Jr. explained that due to the challenges employees in rural areas face in accessing banking facilities, and the costs associated with traveling to areas to access banks, the GoL rolled out salary payments using Mobile Money Transaction through LoneStar and Orange GSM companies.

Using an analysis of July 2024 salary disbursement, Mr. Joekai disclosed that a total of 4,738 transactions were done both in LRD and USD, stating that of these numbers, CSA were able to verify that 3,884 transaction matched employees names that were on the payroll and whose names matched the names associated with the MTN numbers.

Making the disclosure Thursday at the Ministry of Information regular press conference, the CSA boss said about 166 individuals were paid part of their salaries in LRD via mobile money and USD component through the bank due to the difficulties of accessing their LRD component through the bank.

“During the analysis, we discovered that payments were made to seven agents representing 22 transactions totaling LR$294,071.00 and US$4,366, calculating this annually we are paying LR$3,528,852.00 and US$52,392 from our payroll accounts to agents/businesses,” he emphasized.

Alarmingly, Mr. Joekai pointed out that 205 and 223 individuals were paid for July via mobile money, noticing that those employees' names were not visible on the national payroll.

“The names of those businesses involved in the act will be exposed, masterminds will be named, and those individuals that were used to carry out this malicious act will be shamed,” he warned.

According to the CSA boss, the 166 individuals who are receiving part of their salaries through mobile money and through the bank, will be blocked immediately pending further notice, while there are 220 employees' names on the payroll that do not match those associated with the mobile money account will be blocked effectively.

He added that the seven agents that have received payments to their accounts will be turned over to the appropriate authority for further investigation, noting that individuals who are also responsible for sending salaries to 223 mobile money accounts, but are not on the payroll will be forwarded to the relevant authority for investigation.

At the same time, Mr. Joekai said that a total of 613 names on the payroll will be blocked immediately until further investigation and verification are carried out.