OSP summons GRA Commissioner-General, 2 other senior officials over SML scandal

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has summoned the Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Anthony Sarpong, and two senior officials to appear before its investigators over the ongoing SML corruption probe.

Multiple reports suggest that the officials include Commissioner-General Anthony Sarpong, Assistant Commissioner in charge of Finance, Celestine Annan, and Technical Assistant to the Commissioner-General, Kenneth Agyei-Duah.

The summons follows the recent arrest of the GRA’s Acting Head of Legal, who is being investigated for suspected corruption, obstruction of justice, and corruption-related offences in connection with the controversial SML contract.

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The three (3) officials are being investigated for allegedly directing the issuance of a letter to lawyers representing Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) that contained contradictions with their earlier statements to the OSP. The letter in question, reportedly sent in mid-October, is believed to have influenced ongoing legal and investigative processes surrounding the SML deal.

This marks the second time Mr Sarpong and Ms Annan have been invited for questioning. Both Mr Sarpong and Mr Agyei-Duah are said to have previously worked with KPMG, the auditing firm that conducted a review of SML Ghana’s operations on the instruction of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

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The GRA–SML contract, which engaged SML Ghana to provide revenue assurance services, has faced intense scrutiny over allegations of inflated contract values and procurement breaches. The OSP’s expanded investigation now includes senior officials from both the GRA and the Ministry of Finance.

Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng has confirmed that former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and six (6) others will face charges for corruption and related offences before the end of November 2025. The individuals named include Ofori-Atta, his former chief of staff Ernest Akore, two former Commissioners-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), a former Customs Commissioner now serving as a Member of Parliament, and SML’s General Manager.