GRA-SML deal: Stan Dogbe questions motives behind release of KPMG Report now

Ghanaian

Stan Dogbe, a former presidential staffer of John Dramani Mahama, has challenged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's sudden release of the KPMG audit report on the controversial Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) contract.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, May 22, the ex-staffer argued that this move by President Akufo-Addo and the New Patriotic

Read full articleParty (NPP) is not driven by a newfound dedication to transparency or accountability. Instead, he suggested that a significant, unspecified trigger prompted the report's release and called on the presidency to clarify the motivation behind this action.

He contended that the SML deal is mired in corruption and was designed to benefit government cronies. He demanded greater transparency and accountability regarding the circumstances that led to the release of the audit report.

"What triggered President Akufo-Addo’s unprecedented U-turn to release KPMG's damning report on the corrupt SML transaction, which was previously defended using various legal justifications?" he wrote. "This action is not because Akufo-Addo and the NPP have suddenly embraced transparency."

He added, "There is a significant trigger, and whatever it is, we thank God it has pushed him to the wall. SML simply stinks, and it was evident even before the KPMG report that this transaction was designed to exploit the country’s tax revenue for personal and political gain. Is it any wonder the GRA ignored SML’s retention of VAT exceeding GH¢ 13 million?"

The release of the KPMG audit report follows public demands from Ghanaians and civil society organisations for transparency regarding numerous reported infractions in the contract.