Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has revealed that a comprehensive forensic audit he initiated at the Ministry of Finance uncovered an attempt to push through over GHS13 billion in questionable claims, many of which had already advanced through the approval chain.

 Dr. Forson described the findings as “damning” and “troubling,” noting that auditors discovered recycled claims, falsified documents, and completely fictitious invoices that had been cleared at multiple levels.

“The auditors are certain about one thing: they have rejected GHS10 billion.

They say some of the liabilities are recycled,” he stated.

According to him, some of the claims were Interim Payment Certificates (IPCs) for works that had already been paid for, but were being resubmitted for additional payment.

Others involved forged store receipt advice, while the remaining batch consisted of entirely fabricated claims, he told Parliament durring the presentation of the 2026 budget to Parliament on Thursday, November 13, 2026 

Dr. Forson recounted that upon assuming office, he immediately instructed his staff to halt all pending payments until an audit was conducted—a decision that proved critical.

“When I got in, I said stop all the payments. Let’s do the audit before anything goes,” he said.

“Some of them felt the payments were legitimate because they had already been processed.

But my instinct told me to stop it.”

That instinct exposed the scale of the issue.

He disclosed that the total pending claims amounted to GHS13 billion.

After scrutiny, the Auditor-General validated GHS12 billion as legitimate but flagged GHS1 billion as fictitious.

“These are invoices and certificates that have gone through all the processes and were only waiting for cash.

If not for that audit, Ghana would have lost that one,” he stressed.

Dr. Forson said the audit report will be released next week, complete with names of individuals and companies implicated in the attempted fraud.

“The audit will be out, and they will publish not only their names but the companies and all those behind it.”

He added that the Attorney-General will take over the matter after the Auditor-General officially presents the report.

Dr. Forson noted that he intentionally avoided discussing the findings during the budget presentation to prevent the revelations from overshadowing what he described as the “excellent policies” contained in the 2026 Budget.

The forthcoming audit report is expected to trigger significant public and legal interest as authorities move to hold those involved accountable.