National Rental Scheme: 20 Persons Arrested For Defrauding System With Fake Bank Documents

• National Rental Scheme caught 20 people who had defrauded it with fake bank documents, among others
• The scheme has noted that many applications made to it have also been rejected over suspected fraud
• The Rent Chamber Group told YEN.com.gh that managers of the scheme needed to be held accountable for breaches

Multiple people have been nabbed for defrauding the National Rental Assistance Scheme.

A source at the scheme clarified to YEN.com.gh that 20 persons will face prosecution for the fraud, contrary to earlier reports that 200 persons had been picked up.

Acheampong noted that persons had faked bank records in order to benefit from the rental scheme.

He told GNA also noted that numerous applications have been rejected due to suspected fraud.

Read also

Ghanaian man Dr Parker constructs bad road with his own money in his area around Amasaman

For example, Acheampong noted that the scheme had detected false standing orders.

“But through the verification process, any document that has been tampered with will be detected,” he added.

The National Rent Assistance Scheme’s was put in place to provide rent loans to both formal and informal workers who meet set standards.

GH¢30 million in seed funding was provided by the government to support the initial rollout.

Observer calls for accountability from scheme

Divine Aggor, the CEO of the Rent Chamber Group, an organisation pushing housing reform, told YEN.com.gh the scheme needed to be held accountable for the failings.

According to his experience in the sector, such attempts were to be expected and guarded against.

"If a proper audit is done, those guys should be held accountable because they should not even have allowed this to happen in the first place," Aggor said.

Read also

Kennedy Agyapong says 10% tax on betting is too little, adds that it must be discouraged: "I'll provide jobs"

He noted that there were rental modules in Ghana that have proven to be more secure from fraudsters.

Aggor thus suggested that there could be some further corruption at play.

"Probably because there is an audit coming and they are not able to account for some balances here and there... Instituison of public interest don’t learn, and they don’t even want to learn because they want to take advantage of the system.”

Real estate agent disapproves of rental scheme

Raphael Odjerbio, the CEO of a real estate agency in Ghana called Rajo City Realty, noted to YEN.com.gh ahead of the scheme's launch in February 2023, that the government was not ensuring adequate affordable housing.

He added that the Rent Control Department was not doing enough to enforce the country's rent laws.

He also noted that people in the informal sector may not be able to benefit from the new scheme.

Read also

Mahama laments departure of UK company which refused to pay bribes, says he would have done things differently

Source: YEN.com.gh