The Commercial Court in Tamale has granted bail with strict conditions to five out of six individuals facing trial for payroll fraud and corruption-related offences.

The sixth defendant was absent due to a short service of summons.

The accused—Yakubu Tahidu, Abdulai Abukari Sadic, Sammy Suuk, Mohammed Yusif Jay, Stafford Korletey Azudey-Barres, and Osman Issahaku—have all pleaded not guilty to 17 counts of corruption, which allegedly resulted in financial loss to the state.

As part of the bail conditions, the accused must surrender their passports, while those without passports are required to submit their Ghana Cards.

Each accused person must also provide two sureties to be justified, one of whom must be a senior public servant.

The case originated from a referral by National Security, which claims that the first accused, Yakubu Tahidu, continued to receive a government salary despite no longer being a teacher and while employed by another government agency.

The other defendants are accused of either facilitating or failing to prevent the fraudulent payments.

The trial has been adjourned to April 1, 2025.