The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has arrested three former Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) commissioners in connection with a wide-ranging investigation into procurement irregularities and suspected corruption involving Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Ltd (SML).
Those arrested include: 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 the Managing Director/CEO of SML.
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former GRA commissioners
The arrests of the GRA commissioners are tied to contentious contracts awarded by the GRA to SML for revenue assurance services in Ghana’s petroleum downstream, upstream, and mining sectors. These contracts have drawn significant scrutiny over allegations of bypassing competitive bidding processes and questionable value for money.
According to an official OSP statement, the 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 men were detained overnight after failing to meet their bail conditions. As the probe deepens, they are expected to face further interrogation.
The OSP emphasised that this investigation phase is focused on ‘suspected corruption and corruption-related offences in respect of the contractual arrangements between the GRA and SML,’ and will also evaluate the credibility of SML’s claims about boosting government revenue.
SML has repeatedly defended its operations, asserting that its services have significantly enhanced revenue collection and closed loopholes in the petroleum and mining sectors. However, civil society organisations and independent analysts have challenged these claims and the opaque processes surrounding the contract awards.
Reacting to the arrests, governance analyst Kofi Bentil praised the move as “a positive step,” noting that “we’ve long demanded accountability in how public contracts—especially multi-billion cedi ones—are awarded.”