Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni demands a full termination of the controversial revenue mobilization agreement between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Ltd (SML).
On Thursday, May 23, while appearing on Joy FM which was monitored by The Accra Times, the journalist, who investigated the deal alongside the Fourth Estate and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), expressed his disapproval of the government’s attempts to conceal certain details of the contract.
“I am not impressed about the fact that they [Government] are still trying to keep aspects of this contract,” he said.
He pointed out that there is no proof that SML took action against oil marketing companies linked to political figures.
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He claimed that the said OMCs were involved in fraudulent activities, including diversion, dilution, and under-reporting, which deprived the government and the country of losing large amounts of money.
“…the fact that politically affiliating OMCs sell the products, take the taxes, and don’t go back to pay to the government, these are the avenues through which the state loses revenue,” he said.
Based on this, Mr. Awuni is convinced that SML is not meeting its responsibilities, and therefore, ending the contract is the right decision.
“And from this report, I am yet to see anywhere that SML came in and is tackling this problem. So the best move is to clear out this deal,” he said.
BACKGROUND
The President engaged KPMG to conduct a comprehensive audit of the contract on January 2, 2024, with an initial timeline of January 16, 2024, subsequently revised to February 23, 2024.
The Office of the President has made public the KPMG audit report on the agreement between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) in response to the persistent calls from Ghanaians and civil society organizations.
On April 24, President Akufo-Addo terminated the contract between the GRA and SML after KPMG audit findings said SML had been paid about GHC 1 billion since 2018 for partially fulfilling its obligations in the deal.
However, the report also noted that SML’s work had contributed to an increase in revenue in the downstream petroleum sector, even though an investigative report by the Fourth Estate had shown otherwise.
