By Calvin Quays |Contributor
The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning(MFDP) and the Civil Service Agency(CSA) have held one day an Interactive Seminar on the Payroll System of the Government of Liberia.
Speaking at the open ceremony on Thursday January 14,2021 at the Ministerial Complex in Congo Town, the Director General of CSA, Jimmy Thompson reiterated that measures have been put in place to prevent payroll padding, double dipping and manipulation of accounts at various Ministries and Agencies.
Director Thompson noted that the measures would ensure that padding, double dipping and manipulation of accounts of payment would prevented in government payroll system.
He stated that the allowance system over the years allowed people to get on the Payroll without go through the CSA process which has padded the system.
Fraud prevention
He said the measures are helping to clean government payroll which is a continue process to prevent fraud in the system.
Director Thompson stressed that all government employees are expected to go through CSA processes for employment.
Meanwhile, Deputy Finance Minister for Budget Tanneh G. Brunson said cleaning of government payroll of ghost names over the years have been difficult due to the allowance system in government, but now progress has been made to address it.
Minister Brunson stated that introduction of national identification scheme for government employees to get pay through the banking system has make significant gains, however, there is a room for improve to protect public money.
She noted that since two years ago, the MFDP, CSA, Interior Auditing and Agency (IAA) and National Identification Registry (NIR) have been working with comptrollers and human resource directors of various government ministries and Agencies to strengthen the payroll system.
For his part, the Executive Director of the Liberia Macroeconomic Policy Analysis Center at the MFDP Del-Francis Wreh said government has identified 900 persons who were on double payrolls of government through the Taskforce exercise .
Director Wreh stated that Taskforce is expected to carryout head count of all employees in ministries and agencies of government to know the actual number by persons with the biometric system.
He maintained that the seminar is intended to build the capacity of comptrollers and human resource directors to prevent and protect the payroll system of government.
