Ex-Customs boss Col Damoah pleads not guilty in GH¢1.4bn SML contract case
By DL News
Published
3 min read
Col Damoah, who is also the MP for Jaman South, was arraigned alongside former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and others over what prosecutors describe as a scheme that caused the state a loss of more than GH¢1.4 billion.
Former Commissioner of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Colonel Kwadwo Damoah (rtd), has pleaded not guilty to corruption-related charges in the high-profile Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) contract prosecution.
Col. Damoah, who is also the MP for Jaman South, was arraigned alongside former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and others over what prosecutors describe as a scheme that caused the state a loss of more than GH¢1.4 billion.
He faces eight substantive charges and two counts of conspiracy. All the accused together are answering a total of 78 counts, including:
Causing financial loss to the state
Using public office for profit
Wilful oppression
Directly influencing a procurement process to obtain an unfair advantage
Entering into a multi-year financial commitment on behalf of government without prior parliamentary approval
The High Court admitted Col Damoah to bail in the sum of GH¢50 million, with two sureties.
Under the bail conditions:
He must deposit his passport and all travel documents with the court registry.
The sureties are required to lodge copies of their Ghana Cards with the registry.
His name has been placed on a Ghana Immigration Service stop list at all entry and exit points.
He is to report to the lead investigator once every week.
The court has suspended the execution of the bail terms until 31 December 2025 to allow him time to secure sureties.
Also standing trial are:
Emmanuel Kofi Nti – former GRA Commissioner-General
Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah – former GRA Commissioner-General
Isaac Crentsil – former Commissioner, Customs Division
Ernest Darko Akore – aide to Ken Ofori-Atta during his tenure as Finance Minister
Evans Adusei – Chief Executive Officer of SML
Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) – as a corporate accused
Last week, the court granted bail to five of the accused — Nti, Owusu-Amoah, Crentsil, Adusei and SML (through its directing mind) — each in the sum of GH¢50 million with two sureties to be justified.
They are to:
Report to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) once every week
Deposit their passports and travel documents with the court
The court similarly suspended the enforcement of those bail conditions until 15 December 2025.
The case has been adjourned to 17 December 2025 for Col Damoah’s plea to be formally taken on the full charge sheet.
The prosecution arises from a revenue assurance contract awarded to Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited, which drew intense public criticism before being cancelled on the instructions of President John Dramani Mahama.
The OSP’s case, signed off by Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng, alleges that six senior public officials, together with SML, created and operated a “criminal enterprise” around the contract from 2017.
According to the charge sheet, there was:
No genuine institutional need for the services SML purported to provide
A pattern of “self-serving patronage and promotion” of SML by the accused public officials
Reliance on “false and unverified claims” about SML’s technical capacity and impact on state revenues
The OSP claims the accused:
Abused their positions “with increased emboldened impunity”
Enabled SML to “largely pretend” to perform under the contracts, leading to an estimated loss of GH¢1,436,249,828.53 to the Republic
Prosecutors say the officials justified the contracts on the basis that SML alone possessed unique, patented technology for revenue assurance and that its systems had significantly boosted state revenues in the downstream and upstream petroleum sectors and in mining.
All the accused have denied wrongdoing and are contesting the charges.
