MILLIONS of Kina that has been paid to ghost names on the Public Service Payroll adding to the increasing government yearly expenditure is now under review.
The Special Parliamentary Committee on Public Sector Reform and Service Delivery (SPCPSR&SD) is looking at reviewing the integrity and capability of Public Service Payroll System.
Over the past years the government has been paying money to public servants whose names are on the Public Service payroll but the person does not actually exist.
The 2021 Government budget allocated about K5.6 billion from a total Expenditure Budget of K19.6 billion to about 90, 000 – 120, 000 public servants which is approximately 1.5% of PNG’s populations. Many of the people getting paid fortnightly through the Public Service Payroll may not be legal public servant.
Chairman of SPCPSR&SD Gary Juffa stated in a press statement that as of last Friday (May 7, 2021) all persons illegally receiving payments from the government payroll,“You are to take measures to stop immediately”.
“It is the integrity of these figures of persons receiving payments every fortnight from the government payroll which needs clarification. We want to know if this figure is correct and who is legally on the payroll,” Juffa Said.
Chairman Juffa added that the categories of people receiving payments from the government include the following:
- Person getting paid for a deceased relatives public service payroll number;
- Persons paid from public service payroll having more than one bank account under different names;
- Persons paid from public service payroll having different identities under one bank account;
- Terminated persons illegally still drawing salary from public service payroll;
- Persons who are not public servants have mysteriously received a public servants payroll number and are drawing salaries and emoluments.
“PNG must be able to know who in the Public Service is consuming their money and also be able to relate that to the level and quality of services they receive from them,” Juffa said.
He said the Parliamentary Review Committee will work closely with other relevant government institutions as the eyes and ears of the people to deal with the matters that arise.
This includes matters that are referred to them and other matters from the SPCPR&SD’s own observations to reform Public Sector.