OSP probes SML-GRA deal
18th January 2024
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) says it has commenced probe into the controversial contract between Strategic Mobilization Ghana Limited (SML) and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The preliminary investigation according to the OSP comes on the back of a complaint filed on December 18, 2023, by The Fourth Estate.
The OSP explained the complaints were three journalists, including Evans Aziamor-Mensah, Adwoa Adobea-Owusu, and Manasseh Azure Awuni.
This was contained in the office’s half-yearly report dated December 29, 2023, which among other things gave update on ongoing and concluded investigations.
Additionally, the OSP says it is also investigating 152 other cases at various levels of consideration.
The SML contract was awarded to the company by the Ministry of Finance and GRA is for five years, and renewable for another 5 years.
The company is paid up to GHS24 million a month for that initial contract and has claimed that its operations saved Ghana more than GHS3 billion.
However, President Nana Akufo-Addo suspended the contract two weeks ago and appointed an international audit and accounting firm, KPMG, to audit the contract and submit a report in two weeks.
This was after parliament had passed a resolution to investigate the contract.