OSP arrests three SML directors over $500m contract

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has intensified its probe into a controversial multi-million-dollar contract awarded to Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML), following a high-profile raid on the company’s premises in Osu and Tema on Tuesday, June 10.

The operation, sanctioned by a court order and executed in collaboration with the National Security Secretariat, led to the arrest of three senior company directors.

Sources say the investigators seized computers and electronic records as part of efforts to secure digital evidence central to the ongoing inquiry.

At the core of the investigation is a disputed contract worth over $500 million reportedly signed between SML and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) during the tenure of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.

The OSP has declared Mr. Ofori-Atta a fugitive from justice after multiple failed attempts to have him appear for questioning.

SML, which was originally incorporated as Strategic Mobilisation Enhancement Limited (SMEL), emerged shortly after the New Patriotic Party (NPP) took office in 2017.

Despite its limited track record, the company secured lucrative deals through a single-source procurement process, raising questions about transparency and due diligence.

The Public Procurement Authority (PPA) is said to have declined requests for approval on three separate occasions, flagging concerns over SML’s lack of experience.