The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has announced that former Finance Minister Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta and several other former government officials will face prosecution before the end of November 2025.
This comes due to an alleged corruption and procurement breaches in the controversial contract between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilization Ghana Limited (SML).
At a press briefing in Accra, Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng disclosed that a months-long investigation into the SML contract had uncovered substantial evidence of wrongdoing.
“The Office has concluded that six individuals will be charged with various corruption-related offences for their roles in the contractual arrangement entered into between the GRA and SML,”
The OSP said the investigation traced the incorporation history of SML, including its earlier name SMEL, and examined the contract’s execution and financial implications.
“The country received no benefit from that contractual arrangement,” Mr. Agyebeng stated, adding that the probe was undertaken “with as little intrusion into the privacy of individuals and the operations of corporate entities as the circumstances permitted.”
The probe began after petitions requested an examination of the Ministry of Finance, GRA, and SML agreements for possible corruption and breaches of the Public Procurement Act.
The investigation followed a KPMG audit, which recommended shifting SML’s service fee for downstream petroleum monitoring from a variable to a fixed model. As a result, an MoU was signed on November 24, 2024, establishing a fixed monthly fee of $1,432,228 (approximately GH¢22.7 million) based on the Bank of Ghana exchange rate as of October 1, 2024.
However, the OSP described the Cedi figure referenced in an addendum as misleading, noting “The Cedi-denominated figure was unnecessarily deceptive,” the Special Prosecutor asserted, saying the agreement clearly intended to peg payments in U.S. dollars.
Mr. Agyebeng further confirmed that the GRA has not paid SML since December 2024, pending the investigation.
The OSP says it will seek full financial redress for the state, emphasizing that “The Office will pursue full restitution and recover all amounts unfairly obtained at the expense of the Republic,” Mr. Agyebeng said.
He added that the office intends to recover GH¢125 million from SML as disgorgement of unjust enrichment. “By the return of this amount, the Republic will be restored the benefit unfairly diverted.”
Formal charges are expected to be filed by the end of November 2025 in what will be one of the most high-profile prosecutions since the establishment of the OSP.
“This Office remains committed to fighting corruption without fear or favor, ensuring accountability in the use of public funds,” the Special Prosecutor stressed.
Read Also: Fire Engulfs China City Mall in Kumasi; No Casualties Reported
Source: Frederick Kofi Thompson-Quartey/ATLFMNEWS
