Investigative Journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has disputed claims by former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta regarding his involvement in the “questionable’’ contract to Strategic Mobilization Ghana Limited (SML) to monitor Upstream Petroleum Production and to Audit the value chain of Minerals and Metals Resources.
According to Manasseh, it is untrue Ken Ofori-Atta, who was the Finance Minister, was not the originating nor implementing minister in any of the portfolios in question.
Manasseh cited a letter regarding the “shady” SML contract, which stated that the Minister of Finance (Ken Ofori-Atta) had “determined” that the contract should be expanded.
Manasseh noted that when he investigated the SML scandal, the Minerals Commission and the Petroleum Commission claimed they were unaware of the contract.
Additionally, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) was not involved in determining the contract’s scope, despite being responsible for revenue collection and losses.
Manasseh questioned the basis of Ken Ofori-Atta’s determination, given that his investigation revealed SML was not delivering the solutions it claimed on its website.
According to him, when confronted, the company admitted to false claims and deleted them from its website.
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