Col. Kwadwo Damoah, a former Commissioner of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and current Member of Parliament for Jaman South, has pleaded not guilty to charges brought against him by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) in the controversial Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) contract case.
Col. Damoah has been charged alongside former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and other former senior officials for allegedly causing financial loss to the state amounting to more than GH¢1.4 billion.
Charges and Bail Conditions
The Accra High Court admitted Col. Damoah to bail in the sum of GH¢50 million, with two sureties. He faces eight substantive charges and two conspiracy charges, as part of a case in which all accused persons are jointly facing 78 counts. These include:
- Causing financial loss to the state
- Using public office for profit
- Wilful oppression
- Directly influencing the procurement process to obtain unfair advantage
- Entering into agreements with financial commitments binding the government beyond one financial year without prior parliamentary approval
As part of the bail conditions, the court ordered that:
- Col. Damoah must deposit his travel documents at the court registry
- His sureties must deposit copies of their Ghana Cards
- He has been placed on the Ghana Immigration Service stop list at all entry and exit points
- He must report to the lead investigator once every week
The court further suspended the execution of the bail terms until December 31, 2025, to allow him time to meet the bail conditions.
Other Accused Persons
Other accused persons in the case include:
- Emmanuel Kofi Nti – former Commissioner-General of the GRA
- Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah – former Commissioner-General of the GRA
- Isaac Crentsil – former Commissioner of the Customs Division
- Ernest Darko Akore – former aide to Ken Ofori-Atta
- Evans Adusei – Chief Executive Officer of SML
- Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML)
Five of the accused persons were earlier granted bail of GH¢50 million each with two sureties, with similar reporting and travel restrictions. The execution of their bail terms was suspended until December 15, 2025.
The case has been adjourned to December 17, 2025, for Col. Damoah’s plea to be formally taken.
Background to the SML Case
The criminal proceedings stem from a revenue assurance contract awarded to SML by the previous government. The contract became the subject of intense public scrutiny and allegations of impropriety, eventually leading to its cancellation following a directive by President John Dramani Mahama.
The case has also drawn national attention due to efforts by the OSP to extradite former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, whom the Special Prosecutor accused of evading justice. Mr Ofori-Atta has, however, maintained that he is in the United States for medical treatment and has nothing to hide.
OSP Alleges “Criminal Enterprise”
In a charge sheet signed by Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng, the OSP alleged that the accused persons orchestrated a “criminal enterprise” beginning in 2017 to exploit the SML contracts for private gain.
According to the OSP, the contracts were secured through self-serving patronage based on false and unverified claims, despite there being no genuine need for SML’s services. The accused are alleged to have abused their public offices with “emboldened impunity” for private benefit.
The OSP further claims that SML largely pretended to perform its contractual obligations, leading to an estimated financial loss to the state of GH¢1,436,249,828.53.
The prosecution maintains that the accused justified their actions with false claims that SML possessed exclusive and patented technological systems capable of significantly improving revenue mobilisation in the petroleum and minerals sectors.
The case continues to be one of Ghana’s most high-profile corruption trials, with significant implications for public accountability and governance.
