It has emerged that the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) had six service contracts with Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) and that contradicts the initial claim of President Akufo-Addo.
According to the president, the contract was only 3 in a press statement released by Eugene Arhin, the director of communication at the presidency on April 24.
This new contradictory revelation is found in the full audit report made by KPMG, the auditing firm tasked by the president himself, following an investigation by The Fourth Estate, which disclosed several malpractices in the contracts between Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML), the Ministry of Finance, and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
In an interesting twist, the president earlier refused to release the entire report and made public only portions.
It is indicated in the full report, all of these contracts were agreed on and signed without the blessing of Public Procurement Authority (PPA).
“On 1 January 2019, GRA executed without PPA’s approval, and extended transaction audit services agreement with SML, renewable on a monthly basis, following the expiration of West Blue’s contract and SML’s subcontract agreement on December 31, 2018. GRA entered into six (6) service agreements with SML, utilizing the single-source method, without approval from PPA.”
“Evidently, GRA executed the above contracts with SML in breach of Act 663 [the Public Procurement Act] as amended.” Indicated the KPMG Report.
The investigation showed inconsistencies in SML's assertions that its services aimed at reducing revenue losses in the downstream petroleum industry.
Many observers are wondering why the president walked back his initial decision not to release the full report and could it be that he was forced to do so behind the scene?
