Constitutional lawyer John Kwame Quayson has proposed the establishment of an independent oversight body to vet all high-value government contracts, citing the General Legal Council (GLC) as a model due to its respected composition and ethical standards.
According to Mr. Quayson, judges on the GLC are God-fearing and principled, and such a body could help curb the growing rot in the award of public contracts.
He made the proposal on TV3’s The Key Points on Saturday, June 28, during a panel discussion on the controversial revenue assurance contract between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Ltd (SML).
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Describing the emerging details of the GRA–SML contract as indicative of a broader pattern of public sector corruption, Mr. Quayson warned that Ghana is trapped in a cycle he called ‘create, loot, and share.’
“We say people take leadership positions to help develop the country, but instead they’re creating, looting, and sharing the resources. It’s not the first time. It keeps happening,” he lamented.
He commended the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) for initiating arrests related to the contract but urged a deeper national reflection on how systemic manipulation is enabling such deals.
Mr. Quayson also raised concerns over possible conflict of interest, noting that some of the individuals allegedly involved were public servants — including a pastor and GRA officials — accused of playing dual roles.
“You hear of GRA officials allegedly working for or with SML, and a pastor playing a dual role? The average citizen can only conclude this came from powerful elements within government,” he said.
The constitutional lawyer further called for an urgent review of the Public Procurement Act (PPA), particularly its sole sourcing provisions, which he described as the ‘major loophole politicians exploit.’
“The same Act that says follow ABC also allows you to skip all steps and go for sole sourcing — and that’s where the abuse happens,” he stated.
Referencing past scandals such as the Ambassador Hotel Fund, the Power Distribution Services (PDS) deal, and the Agyapa Royalties agreement, Mr. Quayson said these incidents demonstrate systemic failures that remain unaddressed.
“We had PDS, Agyapa, and now SML. The pattern is clear — the laws are weak, and the systems are easily exploited. Parliament itself has failed in its watchdog role,” he argued.
He stressed the need for contracts involving significant public funds to be reviewed by an independent body, stating that without systemic reform, the nation risks repeating the same mistakes.
“If we don’t change the system, we’ll be back here again in a few years discussing another scandal. It’s time we built a strong institution to protect the public purse,” he stressed.