Manasseh Azure Awuni, an Investigative journalist, has shared more details regarding the controversial Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited contract with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The Investigative journalist revealed SML was making $121,000 a day, when Ghana was producing 160,000 barrels of oil.
He further refuted claims by SML that the contracts with the government were performance-based.
Manasseh Azure detailed that SML was charging Ghana a fixed amount of money for the revenue assurance service it was supplying.
Speaking in an interview with JoyNews, Manasseh Azure explained, “They were taking a fixed percentage from whatever we input. It’s like a tax. If anybody bought petroleum products, if you pump any litre of fuel into your car, anywhere in this country, as soon as the fuel comes through into the system, SML was entitled to GHp5 per litre.
“And that five pesewas may seem very small until you multiply it by the hundreds of millions and billions of litres we consume in a year,” he said.
He further explained, “Go to the gold mining sector. SML was entitled under the contract Ofori-Atta masterminded to a fixed percentage – that is, 0.75% of the total production of minerals. And this year, we are getting billions of dollars because gold prices are going up, and mineral prices are going up. It is a fixed percentage.
“Go to the downstream, where we produce petroleum. The contract said every barrel of oil Ghana produced, SML should be entitled to $0.75 per barrel. It may look small, but at the time, we’re producing up to 160,000 barrels a day. This means the company will be making at least $121,000 every single day we produce oil,” he said.
Also, Manasseh Azure Awuni has told the government that the Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) is blackmailing and telling lies following revelations about the company’s contract with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The Investigative journalist urged the government to recover more funds from Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML).
Cephas Boyuo, the lawyer representing Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML), has said that, government is compelled to compensate the company if it chooses to terminate its contract with the Ghana Revenue Authority.
Speaking to journalists in Accra on Friday, November 7, Cephas Boyuo stated, “As for our client, the SML, if the government chooses to terminate our investment overlay, that is what the government needs to pay us. If somebody wants the job, the person can go ahead and apply for the job, but you shouldn’t seek to tarnish the image of SML in the quest of taking that job. That is what we are definitely not going to allow”.
Also, the SML lawyer further revealed that SML has submitted a detailed response to President John Dramani Mahama regarding his directive to terminate all contracts.
According to Cephas Boyuo, the documents presented to the President and A-G would help them appreciate the matters and form a fair, independent opinion.
He added, “Earlier this afternoon, we delivered a comprehensive response to the President on his directive for the contract between the Ministry of Finance, GRA, and SML to be terminated, which hinged largely on the report of the OSP.
“In the letter submitted to the President and also to the Attorney General, we provided documentary evidence to each and every paragraph and elaborated on the true and accurate picture of the GRA-Ministry of Finance-SML contract,” Boyuo said.
“We are confident that a review of the documents presented to the President and the Attorney-General would help them appreciate the matters and form a fair, independent opinion on the termination directive,” he added.
The SML lawyer also rejected the OSP’s findings, insisting that all payments made to SML were performance-based and fully verified.
However, Manasseh Azure, reacting to the SML Lawyer’s remarks on CITI FM, accused SML of misleading the public.
He further wondered about the assurance SML have that they are confident that they believe the contract termination will be reversed.
Manasseh Azure stated, “A lot of the things the lawyer said are false. And I’m wondering which assurance the company may have had from some members of government that they are confident that they believe things may be reversed”.
“They seemed to be patronising the Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine, and at the same time issuing threats that look like blackmail, if you cancel it, we will go and get money.
“It’s not automatic that if contracts are cancelled, you will get your money. If we have strict officials diligent enough to fight for our interest, I strongly believe we should be retrieving more money from SML than the OSP is talking about and not the other way round”, he added.
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