The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, has revealed that Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) lacked both the tools and technical competence to execute the audit and revenue assurance services it was contracted to perform for the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, October 30, Mr. Agyebeng said investigations by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) uncovered glaring statutory breaches, conflicts of interest, and unjustified payments surrounding the SML contracts.
“There was no genuine need for contracting SML for the work it purported to perform,” the Special Prosecutor stated.
He described the SML agreements as “blighted by statutory breaches,” stressing that the company had neither the infrastructure nor the professional capacity to undertake the assigned tasks.
According to Mr. Agyebeng, the GRA failed to submit the full agreements between SML and its third-party collaborators, a lapse he said obstructed transparency and accountability in the contract process.
“GRA failed to submit the agreement between SML and other parties,” he said, noting that such omissions violated public procurement and governance protocols.
The Special Prosecutor further alleged that the entire deal was propelled by what he called “self-serving official patronage, sponsorship, and promotions based on false and unverified claims.”
He named former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta as “the chief patron, supporter, and promoter” of the SML deal, alleging that both Ofori-Atta and SML management “were criminally minded in their operations.”
Mr. Agyebeng said the OSP’s investigation established that the SML contract was not grounded in any genuine operational need and that payments made to the company amounted to a misuse of public funds.
The findings mark a major turn in the ongoing scrutiny of the SML–GRA agreement, which has faced widespread public and political criticism over allegations of conflict of interest, lack of value for money, and procurement irregularities.
Read more…
SML contract unjustified — OSP cites patronage, breaches, and financial loss
