SML deal is bad; it is dirty – Former NPP Communication Director

Yaw Buaben Asamoa has criticized President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the revenue assurance contract between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Ltd (SML), and the sale of shares of six SSNIT hotels to the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong.

In an interview with JoyNews on Thursday, May 23, 2024, Buaben Asamoa, former Director of Communication of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), described the two deals by the government as immoral and filthy.

Buaben Asamoa, who is also the lawyer for Hopeson Adorye, a leading member of the Movement for Change and former NPP member recently arrested for comments about using dynamite to intimidate non-Ghanaians from voting in the Volta Region during the 2016 election, accused the government of using the prosecution of his client to divert the attention of Ghanaians from the SML and SSNIT scandals.

"What is happening with the SSNIT divestitures, what is happening with the publication of the full SML report are things that the government wants to really run away from. And the belief is that this would divert public attention. It is what we call the dead cat in journalism.

"It (the prosecution of Adorye) is a diversion. It is going down; it is dirty, the SML deal is dirty, the SML report is bad, it is dirty. The SSNIT situation is bad, it is dirty," he said.

The lawyer added, "But the government wants to move away from these issues with sensationalism. Arrest Hopeson Adorye, everybody is talking about it; everybody would have forgotten the dirt in the SML, the dirt in SSNIT, and then the government is comfortable, Mr Adorye is left to go. Because the charges are hollow, they can’t put him anywhere."

About the SML deal:

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo released an over 300-page audit report on contracts and transactions between GRA and SML.

After initially deciding not to release the full audit report by KPMG, the Office of the President announced in a statement dated May 22 that the report had been released despite Right To Information (RTI) exemptions raised earlier.

IMANI Africa Vice President, Bright Simons, noted major findings that made the deal even worse than had been earlier reported based on the documentary that first reported on the matter.

In a series of posts on social media, Simons listed bombshell findings from his initial analysis of the report:

'The famous KPMG report on SML is finally released. As suspected, Ghana's President's earlier summary has major gaps,' he noted before listing the findings:

a. SML received close to 1.5 billion cedis in payments, not 1 billion as per the presidency.

b. KPMG saw the impact of taxes on increasing revenue, which clearly wasn't SML’s work.

c. SML’s flowmeters never worked as specified throughout the contract period.

d. SML refused to pay taxes on its fees from GRA.

e. The Ministry of Finance deliberately refused to conduct a Value for Money evaluation.

About the SSNIT deal:

The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, alleged that shares of six hotels belonging to Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) are being sold to the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong.

In a post shared on social media on Friday, 17 May 2024, the MP claimed that documents he has intercepted show that negotiations to sell 60% of the shares of the six SSNIT hotels to the minister’s Rock City Hotel Limited are far advanced.

The North Tongu legislator stressed that the sale of state properties to government officials constitutes an abuse of power and should not be permitted.

He added, 'The six SSNIT hotels being sold are: Labadi Beach Hotel, La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, Elmina Beach Resort, Ridge Royal Hotel, Busua Beach Resort, and Trust Lodge Hotel.'

Ablakwa further disclosed that he had petitioned the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate and prevent the minister from acquiring the hotels.

He argued that the minister’s actions not only constitute an abuse of power but also suggest a lack of due process, procurement breaches, cronyism, graft, and a violation of the Constitution of Ghana.

SSNIT has stated it is selling 60% of the shares of the six hotels to Bryan Acheampong’s company because they presented the best offer.

It also clarified that shares of four, not six, of its hotels are being sold to Rock City, adding that the shares of the hotels were advertised for all interested parties to bid.

Bryan Acheampong has maintained that 'there is no breach' as asserted by Ablakwa because, although he owns Rock City, he is not involved in its management.

BAI/OBG

Watch the latest Episode of Everyday People below:

Ghana’s leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign which is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.