SML contract unjustified — OSP cites patronage, breaches, and financial loss
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has concluded that the contract awarded to Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) was unnecessary, unlawfully approved, and financially damaging to the state.
According to findings shared by the Special Prosecutor, Mr. Kissi Agyebeng, at a presser in Accra on Thursday, October 30, the investigation revealed that there was no genuine need for engaging SML for the services it purported to perform.
The contracts, he said, were secured through “self-serving official patronage, sponsorship, and promotion based on false and unverified claims.”
Mr. Agyebeng stated that the OSP’s probe uncovered serious statutory violations, with key officials disregarding mandatory approval processes in what he described as acts carried out with “increased impunity.”
The investigation also established that there was no proper financial management or verification system to monitor SML’s performance. As a result, the payment systems were reportedly set on “automatic mode,” detaching disbursements from actual work done — a situation that caused significant **financial loss to the Republic.
The Special Prosecutor noted that the manner in which the contracts were initiated and executed undermined due process and accountability in public procurement.
The OSP’s findings form part of a broader investigation into the awarding of revenue assurance and monitoring contracts to SML by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Ministry of Finance.
