The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has arrested Freeman Sarbah, the acting Head of Legal at the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), as part of ongo
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has arrested Freeman Sarbah, the acting Head of Legal at the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), as part of ongoing investigations into alleged corruption and obstruction of justice linked to the controversial Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) revenue assurance contract.
In a statement released on Thursday, October 30, the OSP confirmed that Sarbah was taken into custody to assist with investigations concerning his role in the multi-million cedi contract between the GRA and SML, which has been at the centre of a national corruption scandal involving senior government and revenue officials.
According to the OSP, Sarbah is being investigated for suspected corruption, corruption-related offences, and obstruction of justice in relation to attempts to interfere with ongoing inquiries into the SML deal.
The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, indicated that the arrest forms part of a broader crackdown on officials who allegedly played roles in approving or shielding the controversial contract from scrutiny.
SML Controversy
The arrest of Sarbah adds another major twist to the SML saga — a revenue assurance contract first exposed in late 2023 following a JoyNews investigative report that revealed massive irregularities in the deal between the GRA and SML.
Under the agreement, SML was contracted by the GRA to provide technical monitoring and revenue verification services for petroleum and customs transactions.
However, investigations later revealed that the company lacked the technical capacity to perform the functions it was paid for.
Despite this, SML reportedly received hundreds of millions of cedis in payments from the Ministry of Finance and GRA — a situation that triggered widespread public outrage and calls for accountability.
In early 2024, the OSP launched a full-scale investigation into the contract, citing potential breaches of public procurement laws, abuse of office, and collusion between state officials and private actors.
The inquiry uncovered evidence suggesting that key figures within the Finance Ministry and the GRA facilitated or covered up questionable payments to SML, even though the company had failed to deliver on its contractual obligations.
Widening OSP Net
The OSP’s investigation has already implicated several high-ranking officials, including former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, former GRA Commissioner-General Rev. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, and former Customs Division Commissioners Isaac Crentsil and Kwadwo Damoah.
Just last week, Kissi Agyebeng announced that these former officials would face criminal charges before the end of November 2025 for corruption and corruption-related offences.
He also revealed plans to recover GH₵125 million in unjust enrichment from SML.
The arrest of Sarbah marks the first time a serving senior official of the GRA has been directly detained in connection with the case.
Sources close to the investigation suggest that the OSP is examining whether Sarbah used his position to obstruct the investigation by withholding or tampering with key legal documents related to the contract.
OSP’s Next Steps
Sarbah is expected to be questioned on his role in the drafting, vetting, and approval of the SML contract, as well as his communications with other GRA and Ministry of Finance officials.
The OSP has indicated that further arrests could follow as the investigation deepens into the conduct of individuals within the legal and procurement divisions of the GRA.
The Special Prosecutor emphasized that his office remains committed to holding all persons accountable, regardless of their position or influence.
“The public can be assured that no individual involved in this matter will be shielded from prosecution,” an OSP statement said.
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