GRA-SML report: Mahama released GYEEDA report when there was no RTI – Manasseh

Former Editor-in-Chief at the Fourth Estate and lead investigator in the GRA-SML investigation, Manasseh Azure Awuni, has expressed dissatisfaction about the Office of the President’s rejection of a Right to Information (RTI) application for the full KPMG report on the GRA and SML revenue mobilisation contract.

He said the NPP government then, in opposition, demanded that the Mahama administration in 2013 release the report on the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency (GYEEDA).

Following allegations of questionable partnerships between GYEEDA and some service providers, the government set up a committee to investigate its operations, and the report was subsequently made public.

However, the Presidency, in a letter addressed to Mr. Sulemana Braimah, the Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), highlighted that aspects of the KPMG audit report contain sensitive information and thus qualify as exempt information under the RTI law.

President Akufo-Addo assigned KPMG to audit the contract on January 2, 2024, initially setting a deadline of January 16, 2024, which was later extended to February 23, 2024.

The Presidency cited sections 5(1)(a) and (b)(i) of the RTI Act, stressing that it has the right to reject requests for information deemed crucial.

Read also: You can’t demand KPMG report on GRA-SML deal, it’s to guide the president – Afenyo-Markin

KPMG, an auditing firm, has completed and presented its report on the contract between the GRA and SML to President Akufo-Addo.

“Upon careful consideration and in accordance with sections 5 (1) (a) and (b) (i) of the RTI Act, I regret to inform you that your request has been refused. Section 5 (1) (a) and (b) (i) states that information prepared for or submitted to the President or Vice President containing opinions, advice, deliberations, recommendations, minutes, or consultations, is exempt from disclosure and that disclosure of such information would compromise the integrity of the deliberative process by revealing the thought process, considerations, and influence on decision-making reserved for the highest offices of the land.”

GRA-SML: KPMG report is exempt information under RTI – Presidency to MFWA

“The full KPMG Audit Report comprises opinions, advice, deliberations, and recommendations that are integral to the President’s deliberative process and, therefore, qualifies as exempt information under section 5 (1) (a) and (b) (i),” excerpts of the letter read.

The Presidency expressed regret that it couldn’t fulfill the request, citing the confidential nature of the KPMG report.

And those behind in it in the past and in the future will face justice, no matter how long it takes.

— Manasseh Azure Awuni (@Manasseh_Azure) May 8, 2024

But Mr. Awuni, in a post on X, noted that the GRA-SML deal “stinks,” and that is why the presidency is hiding the details from the public.

He challenged the government to release the full report if it had nothing to hide.

“Even when we did not have the Right to Information Law, President John Mahama released a white paper and released the full GYEEDA Report as well. The Akufo-Addo-led opposition NPP was the loudest in asking President Mahama to release that report.

“Which was also a subject of my investigation in 2013. What is Akufo-Addo hiding from us? The SML deal stinks. If they think hiding the KPMG report will make us forget the SML scandal, they should think again. The SML scandal will not die.”

“And those behind it in the past and the future will face justice, no matter how long it takes,” Mr. Awuni noted.

The Fourth Estate Documentary

The Fourth Estate and Manasseh Awuni Azure released an investigative documentary titled “The GHC3 billion lie” in December last year that implicated Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML), the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), and the Ministry of Finance.

The documentary claimed that SML was granted a 10-year contract by GRA with an annual payment of $100 million, sparking concerns over potential irregularities.

SML countered this by stating that they actually held a five-year contract.

On December 20, 2023, GRA released a statement asserting that proper procurement procedures were followed.

Subsequently, on January 3, 2024, SML expressed approval of President Akufo-Addo’s decision to suspend their ongoing revenue assurance operations.