Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has called for a thorough investigation into the revenue mobilisation deal between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Ltd (SML).
Expressing his views, the Editor of The Fourth Estate, emphasised that despite President Nana Akufo-Addo's decision to suspend the contract for a comprehensive assessment, it should be an outright cancellation.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had instructed KPMG to audit the GRA-SML contract on January 2, 2024.
Following the submission of the audit report, the Presidency issued a press release on Wednesday, April 24, stating, “Given that the upstream petroleum audit and minerals audit services could prevent significant revenue leakages, the President has directed that the Ministry and GRA conduct a comprehensive technical needs assessment, value-for-money assessment, and stakeholder engagements before implementing such services.”
However, Manasseh Azure Awuni disagreed with the President's directive during his appearance on Citi FM.
“I expect this contract to be cancelled, and it is not something that should continue because it is not in the interest of the public.
"So, what has been recommended for termination and even the existing downstream one, they both have to be cancelled, and further investigations conducted for monies to be retrieved because they kept saying they [SML] did partial fulfilment of the contract terms, and I don’t think we can pay somebody fully, and they will give us partial results,” he remarked to Selorm Adonoo.
Manasseh Azure Awuni also insisted that “some persons should be made to face the law. The former MASLOC boss [Sedina Tamakloe Attionu] has been jailed, and what has sent her to jail is a tiny fraction of what has been wasted in this SML scandal.”
Credit: myjoyonline.com