Five persons, including an entity, who were arraigned over the alleged Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) scandal, have been granted bail by an Accra High Court.
The accused, Emmanuel Kofi Nti, 66, former Commissioner-General, Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA); Isaac Crentsil, 63, former Commissioner at GRA; Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, former Commissioner-General of GRA; and Evans Adusei, Chief Executive Officer of SML, were each granted bail in the sum of GH¢50 million with two sureties to be justified.
Justice Francis Aponga Achibonga ordered that they deposited their passports or any international travel documents at the Court Registry.
They are also to report to the lead investigator at the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) once every week.
However, the Court suspended the enforcement of the new bail terms until December 15, 2025, directing the accused to remain on their existing OSP bail conditions until that date.
The accused persons face multiple charges including Conspiracy to commit criminal offences of directly or indirectly influencing the procurement process to obtain unfair advantage.
Directly influencing procurement processes and causing financial loss to the State.
Using public office for profit, Willful oppression, False certificate by a public officer; and Entering into an agreement with financial commitments binding the State for more than one financial year without prior parliamentary approval.
All accused persons pleaded not guilty.
The case has been adjourned to December 17, 2025, when the Court is expected to take the plea of Kwadwo Damoah, Member of Parliament for Jaman South and former Commissioner of the Customs Division of GRA, who was absent when the matter was called.
His lawyer, who was present, was instructed to notify him of the next court date.
Three other accused persons; Kenneth Ofori-Atta, 66, former Minister of Finance; Ernest Darko Akoree, 67, Chief de Cabinet to Ofori-Atta; and Mr Damoah, were also absent.
The Special Prosecutor, Mr Kissi Agyebeng, informed the Court that intelligence suggested that Mr Ofori-Atta and Mr Akoree were currently in the United States of America, and that the OSP had initiated extradition proceedings against them.
Defence counsel for the accused persons took turns to request bail, arguing that their clients had complied with all previous OSP bail conditions and had no intention of absconding.
The case facts, as presented by the
Special Prosecutor, were that the accused persons conspired to set up and carried out a criminal enterprise from 2017 to influence the procurement process in favour of SML.
This was in the award of contracts for transaction audit services, external price verification, downstream petroleum measurement audit, upstream petroleum audit and mineral audit services.
He said the arrangement was characterised by a lack of genuine need for SML’s services, and that the contracts were secured through “self-serving patronage, sponsorship and promotion” by Ofori-Atta, Akoree, Nti, Owusu-Amoah, Crentsil and Damoah, based on false and unverified claims.
The SP noted that the accused persons disregarded mandatory statutory approvals by Parliament and the Board of the Public Procurement Authority, acting with “emboldened impunity” as they allegedly abused their public offices for private benefit.
He said they also failed to establish proper financial management systems to monitor SML’s work, leading to significant financial loss to the State.
Payment channels to SML were allegedly placed on “automatic mode”, detached from actual performance.
The Republic, according to the SP, lost about GH¢1,436,249,828.63 through the arrangement.
Investigations by the OSP were triggered by petitions received in December 2023 and were conducted between December 20, 2023, and October 3, 2025.
Following preliminary findings, the Government suspended the performance of SML’s services in January 2024.
A presidential directive issued on October 31, 2025, subsequently terminated all contracts awarded to SML by the Ministry of Finance and the GRA.
The accused persons, the SP added, had also intended to commit the State to a further payment of US$2,799,604,864.71 over five years without the mandatory authorisation of Parliament.
Source: GNA
The post OSP arraigns five over SML scandal appeared first on Ghana Business News.
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