Kemo Cham, AfricaNewsreporter in Dakar, Senegal
Police in Guinea Bissau have arrested 14 officials from the country's Ministry of Finance on charges of forgery and embezzlement of funds. Deputy Director of the Judicial Police, Edmundo Mendes, said the arrests are part of the fight against corruption launched earlier by the country's Ministry of Public Service and Labour.
The accused allegedly allocated salaries to ghost workers in the Guinea Bissau civil service, according to Edmundo Mendes; they succeeded by forging identity cards of some war veterans.
"These 14 employees who still enjoy the presumption of innocence were remanded in custody", the judicial police official was quoted by the Africa Press Agency (APA), and he added that the case will be forwarded on Monday to the public prosecutor.
Reports say that biometric census carried out by the Ministry of Public Service led to the authorities uncovering the existence of the over 3000 fictitious employees on the payroll.
According to APA, Guinea Bissau’s payroll amounts to 2.4 billion CFA francs, with a guaranteed minimum wage of CFA 15,000 francs per month.
Police in Guinea Bissau have arrested 14 officials from the country's Ministry of Finance on charges of forgery and embezzlement of funds. Deputy Director of the Judicial Police, Edmundo Mendes, said the arrests are part of the fight against corruption launched earlier by the country's Ministry of Public Service and Labour.
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