National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Mahama, has made a pledge to cancel the controversial contract between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML).
He characterized such agreements as corrupt and stated that they would not be allowed to persist under his administration, as they go against the nation’s best interests.
Mr. Mahama emphasized his commitment to strengthening anti-corruption measures and expressed his readiness to terminate the SML contract if elected.
“One would have thought that the corruption cases were enough but it has numb Ghanaians. Corruption does not shock Ghanaians the way it used to shock us”, he said.
“An NDC government under me will not recognise or accept this SML agreement. The President has hurriedly got KPMG to audit it, whatever audit they will do I say we won’t accept or respect any agreement with SML.”
During a meeting with organized labor as part of the “Building Ghana Tour” of the Eastern Region, John Mahama expressed his commitment to addressing corruption in the country. He pledged to cancel the controversial contract between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML), considering such agreements as corrupt and against the nation’s best interests.
In a December 2023 investigative report, The Fourth Estate implicated Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML), the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), and the Ministry of Finance in a contentious contract.
The report alleged that GRA had granted SML a purported 10-year contract with an annual payment of $100 million, raising concerns about possible irregularities. SML refuted this claim, asserting that it had a five-year contract instead.
The GRA, in a statement on December 20, 2023, maintained that proper procurement procedures were followed. On January 3, 2024, SML welcomed President Akufo-Addo’s directive to suspend its ongoing revenue assurance operations and undergo an audit of its contract with the GRA and the Ministry of Finance.
President Akufo-Addo has appointed KPMG, an audit, tax, and advisory services firm, to conduct an immediate audit. SML expressed confidence that the audit would provide a clear and accurate depiction of its operations.
About a week ago, the president approved an extension to audit firm KPMG, allowing more time to complete its assessment of the controversial contract.