One of the offices of SML
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has reportedly raided the offices of Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML).
According to renowned investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, the OSP, with the support of the National Security Secretariat, raided the offices of SML at Osu and Tema simultaneously.
A report the journalist published on his website, manassehazure.com, indicated the raid was carried out with search warrants and was conducted in relation to the OSP’s investigation into the SML scandal, which is at an advanced stage.
The OSP was reportedly “interested in electronic information from the company’s servers.”
The SML scandal is one of the investigations in which former Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has been declared a suspect and a wanted fugitive.
The OSP has indicated that it is examining agreements between Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) concerning petroleum and mineral revenue oversight.
Under the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government, SML was engaged by the GRA to provide real-time monitoring and audit services aimed at enhancing tax compliance and revenue assurance in the downstream petroleum sector.
In 2023, the scope of the contract was significantly expanded to include upstream petroleum activities and the mining sector, triggering heightened public scrutiny.
The government under former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo eventually suspended the contract in 2024, following an audit by KPMG.
An amount of GH¢1.06 billion had already been paid to SML by the time the contract was suspended.
If allowed to proceed, the total cost to the state was projected to reach GH¢5.17 billion over five years.
In the wake of all these happenings, Civil Society Organisations mounted a strong response to the findings, with a coalition of five Non-Governmental Organisations filing a lawsuit against the previous government, seeking to recover GH¢1 billion already paid to SML.
BAI/MA
Also, watch the latest news in Twi on GhanaWeb TV