Lawyers for Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) have issued a strong rebuttal to what they describe as “distortions of facts and politically motivated misrepresentations” by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), headed by Mr. Kissi Agyebeng.
Addressing a news conference in Accra last week Friday, Counsel for SML, Cephas Boyuo, rejected the OSP’s claims that SML’s founder, Mr. Evans Adusei, was a proxy for political patronage or illicit enrichment.
“The assertion lacks factual and evidentiary foundation. Mr. Evans Adusei is an independent and long-established Ghanaian entrepreneur with verifiable business records across multiple industries.”
According to counsel, SML was founded in 2017, as part of Mr. Adusei’s diversification into technology-driven revenue assurance.
The lawyers detailed his decades-long experience in logistics, trade, and industrial systems, citing existing ventures such as Evans Timbers Limited and Evatex Logistics Limited.
“Mr. Adusei began as a bulk importer of used clothes between 1988 and 2002 and transitioned into timber processing from 1995 to date. Evans Timbers, a Free Zones registered company, has operated legitimately for decades,” the statement said.
SML also challenged the OSP’s claim that petroleum revenue gains since 2020 were due to “natural consumption increases.”
The company maintained that its deployment significantly curtailed leakages in fuel reporting.
“Before SML’s involvement, Ghana lost 3.2 billion litres to leakages and under-declaration within 16 months.
“After SML’s systems were deployed in May 2020, that figure dropped to 260 million litres, sustained for over four years,” he said.
The lawyers invited independent verification, urging fact-checkers to request corresponding data from the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) and the Bank of Ghana.
Responding to allegations that SML’s contract required Parliamentary approval under Section 33(1) of the Public Financial Management Act, the lawyers described the OSP’s position as “factually incorrect and inconsistent with national practice.”
“The GRA–SML contract created no multi-year financial obligation, debt exposure, or contingent liability for the government.
SML funded 100% of the project, every meter, server, solar system, ICT device and installation, from its own resources,” they stated.
They emphasised that SML paid all import duties, VAT and levies exceeding GH¢500 million, while the government neither provided capital nor guaranteed any payments.
“Payments to SML were strictly performance-based, verified monthly by GRA before release,” the lawyers explained.
The statement further argued that similar contracts within the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), National Petroleum Authority (NPA) and Customs, including those with West Blue, GCNet and Ghana Link/ICUMS — had never been subjected to Parliamentary approval.
The legal team also dismissed the OSP’s statement that GH¢125 million “is to be recovered” from SML, describing it as “conjecture designed to incite public sentiment.”
They criticised the OSP for what they called “a sarcastic portrayal” of SML’s founder, saying it implied that being a timber merchant disqualified him from innovation.
They also accused the OSP of selectively discrediting favorable findings from the KPMG audit, calling the move “unprofessional and self-serving.”
The statement reiterated that SML has consistently demonstrated institutional compliance, technological excellence and measurable fiscal contributions.
“SML has operated under continuous oversight from the Ghana Revenue Authority, National Petroleum Authority, Ghana Standards Authority, and the Ministry of Finance.
“The company remains committed to transparency and to supporting Ghana’s revenue assurance reforms,” the lawyers affirmed.
For more news, join The Chronicle Newspaper channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBSs55E50UqNPvSOm2z
