A major legal battle has unfolded involving former Finance Minister Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta, Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML), and six other high-profile figures, all charged with 78 counts related to procurement violations and causing GH¢1.4 billion in losses to the state.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) filed the charges at the High Court in Accra on November 18, 2025. Alongside Ofori-Atta, those facing prosecution include former GRA Commissioner Generals Emmanuel Kofi Nti and Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah; former Customs Commissioners Isaac Crentsil and Kwadwo Damoah; Ministry of Finance former Chef de Cabinet Ernest Darko Akore; and Evans Adusei, CEO of SML, the eighth accused.
Prosecutors allege that between June 2017 and December 2024, the group colluded to award contracts for transaction audits, price verification, and measurement audits of petroleum products, favouring SML without proper approvals or competitive bidding.
Payments were allegedly automatic, unrelated to actual performance, and justified by false claims of SML’s exclusive technology.
Ofori-Atta is accused of authorizing GH¢468.5 million to SML in 2019 under contracts lacking parliamentary approval. Nti reportedly continued awarding contracts post-retirement, approving more than GH¢15 million in payments without evidence of work.
The OSP investigation followed a complaint lodged in December 2023, leading to the suspension of contracts in January 2024 and a presidential directive terminating them in October 2025.
Prosecutors warn that if allowed to continue, SML could have earned $2.8 billion over five years, highlighting the scale of the alleged losses.
