§36-26-13. Certification of payrolls, etc., for payment of state employees; actions to recover moneys improperly paid, restrain improper payments, etc.

It shall be unlawful for the Comptroller, any county official, officer or employee or any other fiscal officer to draw or issue any warrant on the State Treasury, county treasurer or county depository for the payment of any salary or compensation to any person in the state service for personal services, unless the payroll, estimate, voucher or account for such salary or compensation containing the name of the person to be paid shall bear the certification of the director that the person or persons named therein are employees of the state and are legally entitled to receive the sums stated therein.

Any sum paid contrary to any provision of this article or of any rule, regulation or order thereunder may be recovered in an action maintained in the name of the state by the Attorney General or by any citizen or taxpayer of Alabama from any officer who made, approved or authorized such payment or who signed or countersigned a voucher, payroll, check or warrant for such payment or from the sureties on the official bond of any such officer. All moneys recovered in any such action shall be paid into the State Treasury.

The Attorney General or any citizen or taxpayer of Alabama may likewise maintain a civil action to restrain a disbursing officer from making any payment in contravention of any provision of this article or of any rule, regulation or order thereunder.

Any person appointed or employed in contravention of any provision of this article or of any rule, regulation or order thereunder who performs service for which he is not paid may maintain an action against the officer or officers who purported so to appoint or employ him to recover the agreed pay for such services or the reasonable value thereof if no pay was agreed upon. No officer shall be reimbursed by the state at any time for any sum paid to such person on account of such services.

If the director wrongfully withholds certification of the payroll voucher or account of any employee, such employee may maintain an action to compel the director to certify such payroll voucher or account.

(Acts 1939, No. 58, p. 68, § 11; Code 1940, T. 55, §302.)