The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, has named former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta as the chief patron, supporter, and promoter of the SML deal.
In a detailed press briefing, Kissi Agyebeng revealed that the SML (Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited), which aimed to provide revenue assurance services in the petroleum, mining, and liquid bulk distribution (LBD) sectors, lacked a legitimate operational requirement.
According to Kissi Agyabeng, both Ofori-Atta and SML management were criminally minded in their operations.
He emphasised that the OSPs’ investigation established that the SML contract was not grounded in any genuine operational need, adding that the payment made to SML was a misuse of public funds.
Kissi Agyabeng, addressing a press conference on Thursday, October 30, revealed that the Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) lacked both the tools and technical competence to execute the audit and revenue assurance services that it was contracted to perform for the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
He highlighted that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) uncovered glaring statutory breaches, conflicts of interest, and unjustified payments.
Speaking to the media, he stated, “There was no genuine need for contracting SML for the work it purported to perform”.
Kissi Agyabeng described the SML agreements as blighted by statutory breaches.
He added that the GRA failed to submit the full agreements between SML and its third-party collaborators, “GRA failed to submit the agreement between SML and other parties, such omissions violated public procurement and governance protocols”.
Meanwhile, Martin Kpebu, a private legal practitioner, has slammed the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, for sitting aloof and allowing the former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta leave the country.
Lawyer Kpebu accused Kissi Agyebeng of being incompetent’ handling of Ofori-Atta extradition case.
Speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr Kpebu stated, “The fact that Kissi sat on his hands and allowed Ofori-Atta to go out is the genesis of all of this problem. There was no way you could live in Ghana and not see that there would be a case against Ofori-Atta. The corruption was stinking all over.
Every time I sat on TV, I kept saying that we borrow, and Akufo-Addo and Ofori-Atta are becoming rich, they are taking our money.
Akufo-Addo and Ofori-Atta were taking our money; we could see. It was clear that Ofori-Atta and Akufo-Addo have questions to answer. So how Kissi could have sat down for Ofori-Atta to leave this country is what Kissi must answer. It shows incompetence — extreme incompetence,” he said.
Martin Kpebu further noted that after the 2024 election, NDC foot soldiers started calling for the closure of the airport, but the Special Prosecutor failed to act swiftly.
He explained, “After the elections, NDC foot soldiers started crying that ‘close the airports.’ When foot soldiers say close the airport, my understanding of it is that if you have any cases against these appointees, call them in. Arrest them and ask them to post bail.
Everybody knew from the fact that whenever we borrowed, Ken Ofori-Atta’s company, Data Bank, was making money. Everybody knew that. Ofori-Atta knew that he would have issues to answer, so I don’t understand how Ofori-Atta could have left this country without knowing that there was any case against him. And it was OSP that said they had never called him for any investigation.
So, is it right that Ofori-Atta, when he was leaving, did not know that there was a single case against him? The more this topic comes up, the more it shows that Kissi wasn’t just up to the task on this Ofori-Atta case,” he added.