Franklin Cudjoe, President of IMANI Africa, has expressed deep concern over the controversial contracts awarded to Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML), describing the situation as “mortifying” and “cancerous.”
Speaking on the matter on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on Saturday November 1, Cudjoe said, “The things we are hearing and the things we’ve seen, I am mortified, really mortified.”
He further criticised the state of anti-corruption efforts in the country, noting that the fight against corruption has largely been left to a small group of individuals.
“It is worrying, it is really worrying,” he added.
Cudjoe described the SML contracts as a failure at every level. “Beyond it being a duck and an elephant it is just cancerous. I just can’t imagine that every level of propriety fails, financial, policy wise. What even hurts me is that there seem to be no proper guiding policy as to how this thing should be done. I mean, the question is what was the level of need,” he stated.
The remarks come in the wake of findings by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), which concluded that the SML contracts were unnecessary, unlawfully approved, and financially damaging to the state.
According to the OSP, the agreements were awarded through self-serving patronage and promotion based on unverified claims, with key officials disregarding mandatory approval processes.
The investigation further revealed that there was no proper financial management or verification system to monitor SML’s performance. Payments were reportedly made automatically, disconnected from the actual work completed, causing significant financial losses to the state. The manner in which the contracts were initiated and executed undermined due process and accountability in public procurement.
The SML contracts, which involve revenue assurance and monitoring services for the Ghana Revenue Authority and the Ministry of Finance, have sparked widespread concerns about governance, transparency, and the need for stronger policy frameworks in public contracting.
Source:Lovinghananews.com
