OSP arrests former GRA Boss, two others over SML scandal

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has arrested three former top officials of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).

The arrests are in connection with ongoing investigations into corruption and corruption-related offences surrounding contracts awarded to Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Ltd (SML).

Those arrested include former Commissioner-General of the GRA, Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah; former Commissioner of Customs and now General Manager at SML, Isaac Crentsil; and former Technical Advisor to the GRA and current Managing Director of SML, Christian Tetteh Sottie.

The OSP said in a post on X on Wednesday morning that the three were detained on the night of Tuesday, June 24, 2025, after reportedly failing to meet bail conditions.

The arrests are part of the OSP’s wide-ranging investigations into contracts signed between the GRA and SML for revenue assurance services in the downstream petroleum, upstream petroleum, and minerals sectors.

According to the OSP, the investigations also seek to “verify SML’s claims that its services have been saving the nation significant revenues.”

The arrests come months after The Fourth Estate published an investigative piece titled “The GH₵3 billion lie & the billion-dollar contract”, which exposed irregularities and alleged misrepresentations in contracts awarded to SML.

The investigation revealed that SML was awarded contracts worth 1 billion USD to monitor revenue in Ghana’s petroleum downstream and upstream sectors, as well as the mining sector, with little transparency and questionable procurement practices.

Despite SML’s claims of saving the country over GHS 3 billion, The Fourth Estate found that there was no independent audit or verifiable data to back those figures.

Key public officials and institutions, including the Ministry of Finance and the Public Procurement Authority, were unable to provide convincing documentation or clarity on the process that led to the award and renewal of SML’s contracts.

The investigation also spotlighted conflicts of interest and the revolving-door relationship between SML and former GRA officials, some of whom now hold executive positions within the company.

The revelations triggered public outrage and a presidential directive for a KPMG audit of the contracts, which was submitted to the presidency in 2024.

Following the exposé and a petition by The Fourth Estate journalists who investigated the scandal, the OSP launched a probe into the SML-GRA contracts.