The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has denied claims that its officials who conducted a search at the offices of the Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) to retrieve relevant information to aid ongoing investigations destroyed items at the facility.
Based on a court-granted warrant, the OSP claims that the search was conducted to gather pertinent data to support its investigation into the assurance company’s operations in the downstream petroleum sector under a contract with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
Samuel Appiah Darko, Director of Strategy, Research, and Communication, stated in a Daily Graphic interview, that during last Monday’s search operation, OSP investigators did not destroy any property at SML offices other than to remove and seize items that were pertinent to their investigation.
He added that the OSP investigators prepared a list of the items seized as part of its standard operating procedure.
“This is called the Form 3 and it’s titled ‘Inventory of items seized or detained during search by an authorised officer”.
Mr Darko stated that the SML Director of IT, Samuel Jacob Prempeh, signed the document on behalf of SML, with his colleague Rev. Michael Nyamitei serving as a witness, while a Principal Staff Officer signed it on behalf of the OSP.
“Our investigators went to the SML offices for a lawful search to take possession of certain information and items which we need to help us in our investigation,” he said.
“We did not destroy any property and we filled the seizure notice duly signed by our officers and representatives of SML,” the Director of Strategy, Research and Communication said.
President Akufo-Addo had commissioned KPMG on December 29, 2023 to undertake an inquiry to gain a clear understanding of the matters in controversy, and to be properly advised in taking the necessary decisions.
On May 22, 2024, the President released the full KPMG report of the transaction between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and SML for public consumption.
A statement announcing the release said the President, “in the interest of full transparency in governance, openness, and honesty with the public, has decided to waive the privilege under section 5 of the RTI Act and has directed the publication of the KPMG report in full.”
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