OSP Summons GRA Boss and Senior Officials Over Explosive SML Corruption Probe
Special Prosecutor widens investigation into controversial revenue assurance contract amid fresh arrests
- The Special Prosecutor has summoned GRA Commissioner-General Anthony Sarpong and two senior officials
- GRA’s Acting Head of Legal Affairs, Freeman Sarbah, was arrested for alleged corruption
- he OSP plans to prosecute several top officials, including former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, by the end of November 2025
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has summoned the Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Anthony Sarpong, along with two top officials — Celestine Annan, Assistant Commissioner in charge of Finance, and Kenneth Agyei-Duah, Technical Assistant to the Commissioner-General — over the ongoing investigation into the controversial GRA–Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) revenue assurance contract.
The summons follows the arrest of Freeman Sarbah, Acting Head of Legal Affairs at the GRA, on Monday, November 3, 2025, for alleged corruption and obstruction of justice in connection with the same deal.
According to sources within the OSP, the three senior officials allegedly instructed Mr. Sarbah to issue a letter to SML’s lawyers in mid-October — a move investigators believe could have implications for the corruption probe.
This marks the second time the Commissioner-General and the Assistant Commissioner for Finance have been invited by the OSP, after earlier statements reportedly contradicted the contents of the disputed letter. Both Sarpong and Agyei-Duah previously worked with KPMG, the auditing firm that reviewed SML’s operations under a directive from former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
In a statement on Monday, the OSP confirmed that Mr. Sarbah remains under investigation for corruption-related offences and obstruction of justice tied to the SML contract.
The GRA–SML deal, which engaged SML Ghana to provide revenue assurance services in the downstream petroleum sector, has faced widespread public backlash over alleged inflated costs, procurement breaches, and conflicts of interest.
Following months of scrutiny, the OSP launched a full investigation to determine possible abuse of office and procurement violations in the award and execution of the contracts. The inquiry now extends to top officials of both the GRA and the Ministry of Finance.
Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng has disclosed that several individuals — including former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and former GRA Commissioner-Generals Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah and Emmanuel Kofi Nti — are expected to face prosecution by the end of November 2025.
Preliminary OSP findings reportedly point to corruption, abuse of office, and serious procurement breaches in the SML contract, originally designed to boost government revenue.
The OSP reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring accountability and protecting public resources, warning that anyone found culpable will be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
