OSP Grants Bail to SML CEO and Other Key Figures in Ongoing Corruption Probe

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has granted bail to several individuals implicated in the ongoing investigation into the controversial contracts between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML).

Those granted bail include Evans Adusei, CEO of SML; Philip Mensah, a former Deputy Commissioner of Legal at GRA and current legal consultant to SML; as well as Joseph Kuruk and Faustina Adjorkor, both officials at the Public Procurement Authority (PPA). Also released on bail is former GRA Commissioner-General Kofi Nti.

These developments follow earlier arrests of other former GRA officials—Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, Isaac Crentsil, and Christian Tetteh Sottie—who are still in custody after failing to meet bail conditions. The OSP stated that these arrests form part of a broader probe into suspected corruption and related offences surrounding GRA’s contracts with SML for revenue assurance services.

Background to the SML Scandal

The controversy surrounding SML emerged after an investigative documentary by former Fourth Estate journalists—Evans Aziamor-Mensah, Adwoa Adobea-Owusu, and Manasseh Azure Awuni—uncovered significant irregularities in the awarding and execution of SML contracts. The report revealed that the government had paid over $141 million to SML by the end of 2023, with the contracts allegedly breaching several procurement laws, including the Public Procurement Act.

Under one such contract, SML was entitled to a percentage of revenue from every litre of petroleum sold, every barrel of oil produced, and every ounce of gold mined in Ghana. In 2023, then-Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta expanded the scope of the SML deal to include the upstream petroleum and mining sectors.

Following the exposé and public outcry, President Nana Akufo-Addo directed a full audit of the contracts by KPMG, which confirmed some value in SML’s downstream petroleum monitoring but flagged serious concerns about the contract’s fee structure and legal framework.

KPMG’s findings indicated that while the services provided by SML led to an increase in petroleum volume tracking and GHS2.45 billion in tax revenue, the fee arrangements and some clauses in the contract needed urgent revision. Based on KPMG’s recommendations, the President instructed the renegotiation of the contract, suspending SML’s expanded operations in the upstream and mining sectors.

Ongoing Investigations

As investigations progress, the OSP is focused on verifying SML’s claims of revenue savings and ensuring accountability in the procurement and execution of the contracts. The case continues to draw national attention due to the scale of funds involved and the potential implications for public financial management and anti-corruption efforts in Ghana.