OSP Targets GH₵125 Million Recovery from SML as State Intensifies Crackdown on Financial Misconduct

Photo credit- Office of the Special Prosecutor Ghana

Accra, Ghana- The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has announced plans to recover GH₵125 million from Strategic Mobilization Ghana Limited (SML) after concluding an investigation into the company’s controversial contracts with the Ministry of Finance and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).

According to the OSP’s findings, between July 2018 and December 2024, SML received a total of GH₵1.43 billion from various service agreements, including GH₵506.7 million for “transaction audit and price verification” and GH₵929.5 million for “measurement audits” in the petroleum sector.

However, investigators found that payments were made automatically without verified reports, invoices, or evidence of completed work a violation that, according to the OSP, cost the state millions.

The OSP’s probe, prompted by investigative journalists from The Fourth Estate, further revealed that the GRA failed to deduct over GH₵13.3 million in statutory taxes, alongside additional liabilities in penalties and PAYE obligations.

Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng stated that the GH₵125 million recovery would serve as a “disgorgement of unjust enrichment” money the company gained unfairly through inflated or automatic payments detached from measurable performance.

He emphasized that while the calculation recognizes SML’s investments, it primarily seeks to reclaim overpayments made under “a system that encouraged financial padding and weak oversight.” “The OSP remains resolute in recovering what belongs to the Republic,” Agyebeng said, assuring that his office “will not be distracted by public commentary or political pressure.

The SML case follows a growing list of high-profile corruption investigations, including the GH₵600 million “ghost names” scandal at the National Service Authority, where former Director-General Osei Assibey Antwi faces 14 criminal charges and has been granted GH₵800 million bail after pleading not guilty.

Together, the two cases underscore mounting concerns over fiscal accountability and procurement irregularities within key state agencies. Analysts argue that these probes reflect both the scale of systemic financial leakages and renewed efforts by watchdog institutions to recover public funds.

Governance experts have welcomed the OSP’s latest action as a test case for transparency in Ghana’s public financial management system.
Dr. Henrietta Mensah, an anti-corruption researcher, noted: “The SML case shows how opaque state contracts can drain resources meant for development. The recovery drive must go beyond one company it should trigger institutional reform.”

---

Read Also