'The GRA-SML deal is a brazen theft set up to create a slush fund for party members' - Kwakye Ofosu

Former Deputy Minister of Communications under the erstwhile John Mahama administration, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has waded into the controversy surrounding the transaction between the Ghana Revenue Authority and Strategic Mobilization Limited for revenue assurance in the downstream petroleum sector.

He opines that the deal, in its entirety, was just a "brazen theft set up to create a slush fund for members" of the ruling government.

Taking to X after the public release of the audit report on the GRA-SML deal, Felix Kwakye Ofosu described the transaction as one meant for the "thieving cabal" under the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government.

The over 300-page report was released on May 22, 2024, weeks after the presidency had opted against releasing it, citing provisions of the Right To Information (RTI) law.

On April 24, 2024, Akufo-Addo received a request from the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) under section 18 of the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989) (RTI Act), for a copy of the KPMG report.

The President had commissioned KPMG on December 29, 2023, to undertake an inquiry to gain a clear understanding of the matters in controversy and to be properly advised in taking the necessary decisions.

In justifying the earlier refusal to release the report, the presidency stated that the KPMG report comprised 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) of the RTI Act.

At the time, a detailed press statement outlining KPMG's findings and recommendations, as well as the president's directives to the Ministry of Finance and GRA, was published.

The SML deal was brazen theft set up to create a slush fund for members of this thieving cabal called the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government.

— Felix Kwakye Ofosu (@FelixKwakyeOfo1) May 23, 2024