By: Akua Oteng Amponsah
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has summoned Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) Commissioner-General Anthony Sarpong and two senior officials to appear before investigators as part of the ongoing probe into the controversial SML Ghana contract.
According to sources, the order follows the arrest of the GRA’s Acting Head of Legal, linked to alleged conflicting statements and a letter purportedly issued under the instruction of the three officials to SML Ghana’s legal representatives.
Those directed to appear include Mr. Sarpong, Assistant Commissioner for Finance Celestine Annan, and Technical Assistant to the Commissioner-General Kenneth Agyei-Duah. This is the second time both Mr. Sarpong and Ms. Annan have been invited by the OSP.
Their earlier testimonies reportedly contradict the contents of a letter believed to have been drafted or approved by them at the request of SML’s lawyers in mid-October.
It has also emerged that both Mr. Sarpong and Mr. Agyei-Duah previously worked with KPMG, the auditing firm commissioned by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to review SML Ghana’s operations.
The latest summons follows confirmation by the OSP on Monday, November 3, that the GRA’s Acting Head of Legal had been arrested and placed under investigation for suspected corruption, obstruction of justice, and other corruption-related offences connected to the SML contract.
The GRA–SML agreement, which tasked SML Ghana with providing revenue assurance services for the petroleum and minerals sectors, has been mired in controversy, with allegations of inflated contract costs, procurement breaches, and poor value for money.
The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, has since broadened the scope of the inquiry to include senior figures from both the GRA and the Ministry of Finance.
Kisi Agyebeng recently indicated that his office intends to file charges by the end of November 2025 against several individuals implicated in the scandal.
Among those expected to face prosecution are former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, as well as former GRA Commissioner-Generals Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah and Emmanuel Kofi Nti.
The Special Prosecutor reiterated that the investigation aims to “safeguard public resources and ensure accountability in the management of state.”
