Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has issued a sharp challenge to Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML), daring the controversial revenue assurance company to seek legal redress rather than relying on public pronouncements following the government’s recent decision to suspend its contracts.
Mr Awuni’s comments, made on Friday, November 7, 2025, in an interview on JoyNews, come in the wake of SML’s press conference refuting findings by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
The journalist, whose original exposé first brought SML’s contractual arrangements with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) under national scrutiny, dismissed SML’s threats of legal action against the state as a form of “blackmail”.
“If you have good evidence to push for any payment, they should proceed to court. This press conference looks like a blackmail,” Awuni stated emphatically.
The SML controversy centres on multi-year contracts—estimated to be worth over $100 million—signed with the GRA to provide revenue assurance services in the upstream petroleum and downstream petroleum sectors, as well as the lucrative mineral export sector.
The contracts were initially signed in 2020 and revised in 2023, attracting public concern over their opaque nature and the substantial fees being paid.
The fees SML was receiving were reported to be about $1.5 million per month, totaling potentially $18 million annually from the downstream sector alone.
Public pressure and media scrutiny, led by Awuni’s reporting, prompted two key state actions:
- Presidential Directive: In late 2024, the Presidency ordered the suspension of all SML contracts and commissioned an audit firm to review the agreements and subsequent payments made to the company.
- OSP Inquiry: The Office of the Special Prosecutor launched a separate investigation, focusing on the procurement processes and potential for corruption and corruption-related offences.
Following its probe, the OSP raised questions regarding the integrity of the contract award process, particularly concerning the contract value and the company’s purported impact on revenue collection.
SML later organised a press conference in a direct response to these OSP findings.
Mr Awuni implied that if any financial settlement were to occur, the flow of funds should be reversed, suggesting the state should seek to recover money from SML.
“If there’s money to be taken, we have to take it from SML,” he asserted.
Awuni also noted the political dynamics at play, issuing a cautionary word to the Attorney General, Dominic Ayine.
“I hear the lawyer patronising Dominic, who is the attorney general. And if the attorney general, Dominic, knew what I know, he would defend the nation’s interest.”
The ball is now firmly in SML’s court, forcing the company to decide whether to follow through on its aggressive legal posture in a court of law or rely solely on public narrative to contest the official investigations.
The final outcome is expected to have significant implications for how the government procures and manages private sector services for national revenue generation.
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