SML/GRA saga: Three Top officials arrested

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has arrested three former top officials of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption and procurement breaches involving Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Ltd (SML).

Those arrested are Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, the immediate past Commissioner-General of the GRA; Isaac Crentsil, former Commissioner of Customs and now General Manager at SML; and Christian Tetteh Sottie, a former Technical Advisor at the GRA who currently serves as Managing Director/CEO of SML.

The arrests are linked to contracts awarded by the GRA to SML for revenue assurance in sectors like petroleum, upstream and downstream, as well as mining. The deals have come under scrutiny over concerns about value for money and the absence of proper competitive bidding.

In a statement, the OSP said, “These arrests are part of efforts to ascertain whether public officials acted inappropriately in approving or benefiting from these contracts, which have major implications on national revenue and procurement integrity.”

The three suspects were reportedly kept in custody overnight after failing to meet their bail conditions. They are expected to face further questioning as the investigation continues.

Civil society groups have applauded the move. “This is a positive step. We’ve long called for accountability in how public contracts are awarded, especially when they involve billions of cedis,” said Kofi Bentil, a governance analyst.