Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited has petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) alleging bias and abuse of power by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), marking a new escalation in Ghana’s contentious revenue assurance contract scandal.
The petition, formally submitted and stamped by CHRAJ on November 12, 2025, targets OSP lead investigator Albert Akurugu and raises questions about whether Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng provided proper oversight or was complicit in alleged misconduct. The firm invokes CHRAJ’s jurisdiction under Article 218 of the 1992 Constitution and Section 7 of the CHRAJ Act, 1993 (Act 456) to conduct a comprehensive investigation into what it describes as administrative injustice and violations of constitutional rights.
SML claims Akurugu harbored a clear conflict of interest due to his previous service in the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) Customs Division during the tenure of West Blue Consulting, the company whose system SML was engaged to audit in 2018 following what it called systemic failures. The petition alleges Akurugu pursued the investigation with personal animosity and retaliatory motives rather than objective legal considerations.
During interrogation, Akurugu reportedly told former Customs Commissioner Isaac Crentsil that he would ensure neither SML nor its CEO Evans Adusei would ever work again, according to the petition. The document further alleges that similar threats were captured on the OSP’s own video recording system during interrogation sessions. SML is requesting that CHRAJ order the OSP to produce these recordings for independent review.
The company condemns the OSP’s June 10, 2025, raid on its Osu and Tema offices as fundamentally flawed. Officers allegedly destroyed servers, dismantled closed circuit television (CCTV) systems, and violated digital forensic protocols in what SML characterizes as a deliberate attempt to inflict operational harm. The petition details how several hardware components, including servers, firewalls, and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, were damaged or seized in breach of international standards on chain of custody, digital evidence handling, and property protection.
SML also accuses the OSP of deliberately suppressing favorable reports from statutory institutions, including the GRA, National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Ministry of Finance, and Ghana Standards Authority, all of which it claims validated its performance. The firm contends the OSP’s published report presented West Blue in an overly favorable light while downplaying SML’s contributions and omitting evidence of early fiscal recoveries exceeding 1.35 million dollars.
The petition alleges that individuals connected to companies whose licenses were revoked by the Customs Division in 2017 sent threatening messages to former Customs Commissioner Crentsil before the OSP raid, referencing SML by name. The company interprets this as part of a coordinated effort to retaliate against it for actions taken under previous GRA management.
SML is requesting that CHRAJ make specific findings: that the OSP investigation was tainted by bias, personal animus, and retaliatory motives; investigate Akurugu’s conduct for abuse of power and compromising process integrity; examine whether Agyebeng exercised proper oversight or was aware of irregularities; and recommend disciplinary or administrative sanctions against any public officers found culpable.
The case raises broader questions about accountability and the balance of power within Ghana’s anti corruption institutions. Legal observers note that ensuring impartiality in high profile investigations is essential for maintaining public trust in anti corruption bodies and the wider business environment.
The OSP has not responded to the petition or the claims made by SML. At an October 30, 2025, press conference, Agyebeng announced that the office concluded its investigation into SML and plans to file charges by the end of November 2025 against several individuals, including former Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta, whom he identified as the chief patron and promoter of the SML deal. The OSP’s findings stated that payments to SML constituted misuse of public funds and that the company lacked both infrastructure and professional capacity to execute assigned tasks.
CHRAJ is expected to review SML’s submission and provide guidance on the next steps in what has become one of Ghana’s most contentious corruption investigations in recent years.
Source: newsghana.com.gh
