'Ghost workers' haunting Zanzibar

Non-existent civil servants on the Zanzibar government payroll are costing the semi-autonomous Tanzanian islands more than $1m a year, an official says.

An inquiry has found about 1,400 "ghost workers" who draw salaries but never report for work, Zanzibar government chief secretary Ramadhani Muombwa said.

He told reporters a task force was being set up to investigate the fraud.

The Zanzibar islands employ 26,000 civil servants, earning a minimum of $50 a month.

"We had to immediately start investigating after finding out that the government has been losing $110,000 a month by paying 1,400 ghost workers," Mr Muombwa said at a news conference.

"We are leaving no stone unturned in our investigations and whoever is found to have taken part in the cheating, will be charged and penalised for embezzlement of public funds," he said.

The semi-autonomous archipelago maintains a political union with mainland Tanzania, but has its own parliament and president.