Massive Fraud Exposed in Congo’s Public Payroll Department

State Loses $66.2 Million Monthly

Kinshasa - A recent audit by the Inspectorate General of Finance (IGF) in the Democratic Republic of Congo has uncovered a massive fraud scheme in the public payroll department, where dozens of fictitious employees have been siphoning off millions of dollars from the state treasury.

Fraudulent Payroll Scheme Revealed

According to the IGF’s findings, tens of thousands of fictitious employees have been added to the government’s payroll, resulting in a loss of earnings for the Treasury totalling 148,999,749,440.95 Congolese francs (approximately $66.2 million) each month.

Key Findings:

• Over 145,000 paid agents have incorrect, fictitious, and fabricated registration numbers for payroll purposes.
• More than 40,000 agents are being paid without their names appearing on the declaratory lists from the services that employ them.
• Over 90,000 agents share the same registration number with other agents who are also being paid.

Consequences of Fraud

The IGF has promised to transmit the list of 961 state agents involved in this alleged “mafia network” to judicial authorities. Some cases of obvious irregularities have already been deactivated on the payroll of state services.

Context: Poverty and Corruption in DRC

Despite the country’s vast natural resources, poverty is rampant in the DRC. According to the World Bank, nearly two-thirds of the country’s approximately 100 million inhabitants live on less than $2.15 a day. Transparency International has ranked the country 169th out of 180 countries in its 2021 corruption perception index.

Calls for Action

The findings of the audit have sparked outrage and calls for action against those responsible for the massive fraud, which is estimated to cost the state nearly $800 million annually.