The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has announced its intention to charge former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and five others over corruption-related offenses linked to Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML).
The other individuals include Ernest Akore, Chef de Cabinet to Ofori-Atta; Emmanuel Kofi Nti and Rev. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, both former Commissioner-Generals of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA); and Isaac Crentsil and Kwadwo Damoah, former Commissioners of the GRA Customs Division.
Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng revealed the charges at a press conference in Accra following the conclusion of investigations into contracts between the Ministry of Finance, GRA, and SML.
He said the OSP would seek to recover financial losses caused by the individuals and pursue the return of GH₵125 million from SML as disgorgement of unjust enrichment.
“This amount was arrived at on two considerations,” he explained. “Firstly, the participation of SML in the public revenue assurance regime was based on largely undeserved automatic payments detached from performance.”
Agyebeng cited SML’s lack of expertise and capacity in transaction audits and external price verification, its failure to submit invoices backed by verified reports, and the use of variable percentage-based payments in downstream petroleum audits as contributing factors.
“These factors created and engendered a free payment system on one hand and a conflictual system of padding-up figures of petroleum products lifted to attract artificially higher fees on the other hand,” he said.
He commended the GRA for terminating SML’s engagement in transaction audits and external price verification in November 2024, describing the company’s performance in those areas as “classless non-performance.”
“The OSP recommends that the termination should be made to lie where it fell,” he added.
Agyebeng clarified that the OSP does not select or recommend contractual partners for public institutions.
“Therefore, if in the estimation of MoF and GRA, they are desirous of retaining SML in other areas of revenue assurance, then critical needs assessment should be performed, and the Ministry and its regulatory agency must ensure that all statutory and regulatory prior approvals and licenses are obtained,” he said.
The OSP emphasised that contractual obligations must be based on expertise, experience, and value-for-money verification and monitoring.
He also commended Evans Aziamor-Mensah, Adwoa Adobea-Owusu, and Manasseh Azure Awuni, journalists of The Fourth Estate, for their investigative work.
