The Office of the Special Prosecutor concludes that former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta played a central role in advancing the Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited contract, despite clear evidence of the company’s inability to deliver the services it was contracted for.
At a press briefing on Thursday, Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng said the former minister exercised personal oversight and influence throughout the process, remaining fully aware that SML lacked the technical capacity required for its revenue assurance duties.
According to the OSP, Mr Ofori-Atta’s involvement created the conditions for unwarranted payments to be made from key state accounts, resulting in financial loss to the Republic.
The investigation found that the former minister was copied in all major correspondence on the arrangement, placing him in direct knowledge of SML’s operational failings.
Despite this, the OSP says he did not intervene to halt payments or demand performance accountability.
Evidence cited included directives issued by Mr Ofori-Atta pushing for SML’s integration into existing systems and the restructuring of units within the Ghana Revenue Authority to support the company’s role.
The probe concluded that payments from the Consolidated Fund, the Petroleum Revenue Account and the Tax Refund Account were approved without technical basis.
The OSP indicated that SML had no functional system for key data processing more than a year into its engagement yet continued to receive payments.
