Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has launched a blistering attack on Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) and the government, warning that the state risks rewarding wrongdoing if it entertains any talk of compensation after terminating the company’s controversial revenue assurance contracts.
Speaking on JoyNews, Awuni dismissed SML’s recent counter–press conference—held to discredit the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP)—as a desperate act of “blackmail” intended to divert public attention and pressure the state into silence. He argued that the only legitimate conversation now should be about retrieving public funds, not paying more to a company already accused of unjust enrichment.
“If there’s money to be taken, we have to take it from SML. If they believe they deserve anything, they can go to court,” Awuni declared, urging the government to act decisively in defence of taxpayers.
The journalist’s comments mirror the OSP’s damning findings, which revealed that SML pocketed GH₵1.43 billion (over $125 million) between 2018 and 2024, despite lacking the technical competence to deliver value for money. According to the OSP, SML’s contracts were unnecessary, unlawfully procured, and propped up by “self-serving official patronage.”
Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng has already initiated steps to recover GH₵125 million from SML, an amount described as the company’s “unjust enrichment.”
Manasseh Azure’s remarks add to growing public outrage that SML—rather than facing prosecution—appears to be mounting a PR campaign to sanitize its image. Critics argue that the company’s aggressive media push is a clear attempt to intimidate state institutions and rewrite the narrative around one of Ghana’s most controversial public finance scandals.
As Awuni bluntly put it, the government’s duty is not to negotiate with those who profited improperly, but to reclaim every pesewa lost to a deal that should never have existed.
