NDC demands retrieval of monies paid to SML

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia's government to take immediate steps to retrieve all monies paid to SML Ghana Limited for no work done.

At a press conference addressed by its National Communication Officer in Accra on Monday, April 29, 2024, the party demanded the immediate publication of the full KPMG investigative report on the SML matter.

The NDC's demands are based on suspicions that there is more to the report than what has been released by the Presidency.

The party contends that the government's decision to allow SML to continue its activities under contracts that did not receive initial approval from the Public Procurement Authority, the GRA board, and Parliament, in accordance with the Public Financial Management Act, confirms that the government is attempting to cover up this damning and sleazy SML scheme.

The investigations by KPMG revealed that the agreements between the government and SML, related to transaction audit, external price verification, and downstream petroleum audit contracts, did not receive various mandatory approvals.

The NDC argues this renders payments to SML totaling GH₵1,061,054,778 unlawful and illegal.

The NDC decried what it calls "a well-established practice of rampant corruption, sordid cover-ups, and the culture of impunity" since the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government took office seven years ago.

The party has thus outlined four main demands from the government, including:

• The immediate termination of all the illegal contracts entered into between SML and the GRA.

• The retrieval of all payments made by the government to SML under the illegal agreements, which have caused a huge financial loss to the state.

• The immediate publication of the full KPMG investigative report on the dealings between SML and the GRA.

• The prosecution of all persons involved in the award of illegal contracts and the illegal payments thereof to SML.

The NDC vowed to pursue criminal prosecutions against all persons involved in the SML scandal when it comes into government in January 2025. The party promised to hold certain individuals accountable for breaches of the laws of Ghana, including the Public Procurement Act.