Government Spokesperson and Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has rejected claims that salaries of staff at the presidency have ballooned under the administration of President John Dramani Mahama, describing the allegation as a “flat lie”.

Responding on Facebook on Thursday, June 11, to assertions made by former presidential legal adviser Kow Essuman, Mr Kwakye Ofosu argued that the current presidential staff inherited the salary structure and conditions of service approved under the previous administration.

“The current staff at the presidency inherited your salaries and conditions,” he stated.

According to the minister, the reduction in the number of presidential staff means the overall wage bill will ultimately be lower than that of the previous government.

“It is in fact a mathematical certainty that the total amount paid in salaries to the current staff will be smaller compared to yours once your arrears are paid because of the reduction in numbers,” he wrote.

Mr Kwakye Ofosu further noted that outstanding salary arrears for former Article 71 office holders are not unprecedented.

“Arrears owed to past Article 71 office holders are nothing new or unheard of. Many others before you have suffered the same,” he said, insisting that claims of ballooning expenditure were unsupported by the facts.