By Issah Olegor
The Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) contract scandal has taken a dramatic turn, with the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) arresting former Customs Commissioner of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Isaac Crentsil, in connection with an ongoing investigation into the controversial multi-million cedi deal.
Isaac Crentsil, who served as Commissioner of the GRA’s Customs Division between 2017 and 2019, was picked up on Tuesday and later granted bail, sources confirm.
The arrest marks the latest escalation in a far-reaching probe into the GRA’s engagement with SML—a private company contracted to provide audit and monitoring services within Ghana’s petroleum and mining sectors.
The arrest signals that current and former top officials of the revenue agency are now under scrutiny for their roles in crafting and implementing the deal, which critics say has cost the state enormous financial losses and was pushed through with questionable legality.
Former Commissioners General, Kofi Nti and Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah are expected at NIB today.
Origins of the Controversy
SML was engaged by the GRA in 2018 under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.
The company initially operated in the downstream petroleum sector, touting its ability to track fuel volumes in real-time and reduce revenue leakages.
However, critics—including opposition parties and civil society groups—argue that these services overlapped with existing work already being performed by the National Petroleum Authority and other contractors.
The controversy escalated in 2023 when then-Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta approved extensions to SML’s contract to include upstream petroleum monitoring and mineral tracking, pushing the annual value of the contract to over $100 million.
This decision, taken without competitive tender or prior Public Procurement Authority (PPA) approval, sparked a wave of condemnation.
KPMG Audit
Following public outcry when, former President Nana Akufo-Addo commissioned an audit by KPMG. The audit revealed that between 2018 and 2023, GHS 1.4 billion was paid to SML—far higher than the previously stated GHS 1.06 billion.
Additionally, three out of six service contracts were awarded without PPA approval, violating procurement laws.
President John Mahama, who campaigned on promises of anti-corruption and transparency, cited the SML contract as emblematic of the previous administration’s mismanagement.
Upon assuming office in January 2025, he ordered investigations and pledged to terminate all unlawful aspects of the deal.
The GRA subsequently cancelled the Transaction Audit and External Verification Service components of the contract and suspended the upstream and mineral auditing segments pending review.
Web of Contradictions
Tensions deepened in May 2025 when Dr. Yaa Serwaa Sarpong, Director of Support Services at SML, publicly announced that the company had secured an upstream petroleum contract—contradicting earlier statements by the GRA denying any such extension.
Dr. Sarpong also disclosed SML’s expansion into the gold sector via a new platform, SML Nova, to support government efforts in curbing smuggling and underreporting in the mining industry.
Observers viewed the announcement as a deliberate attempt to bolster SML’s public image amid investigations, while critics questioned the company’s authority to operate when parts of its contract remain under review or suspended.
