Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) has lodged a suit at the High Court in Accra against the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), alleging the agency unlawfully seized critical equipment in a raid and demanding over US $28 million in special damages, plus GH₵20 million in general damages.
According to SML’s statement of claim, the incident took place on 10 June 2025, when OSP officers, in what the company describes as a “heavily militarised” operation, removed 29 types of equipment from SML’s premises in Tema and Accra. Among the items seized were seven servers, multiple laptops, external hard drives, and a proprietary device known as the “SML Nova Mineral Analyzer.”
SML contracts with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to provide nationwide revenue-assurance services covering petroleum and mineral sectors. The company said that the seized hardware formed the backbone of its real-time monitoring system, linking 25 depots across Ghana to its central data centre. The removal of the equipment, SML claims, caused a total collapse of the communication chain and operational stand-down of its monitoring services.
In its claim, SML says it incurred financial losses exceeding US $28 million (approximately US $28.85 million per court document) in rebuilding its technological environment and restoring operational capacity. It also wants the court to declare the seizure unlawful and order the OSP to return all confiscated equipment.
The legal action raises questions about the investigative powers of the OSP and the rights of private firms under contract with state agencies. SML argues that the OSP acted without proper forensic procedure, asserting that hardware was physically removed rather than imaged in situ, which disrupted business continuity and exposed proprietary systems to risk.
Meanwhile, the OSP has been investigating the SML-GRA contract for alleged irregularities and recommended recovery of funds from SML. In response, SML has publicly denied wrongdoing and said the audit references by the OSP lacked factual basis.
The OSP now has eight days to respond to the writ after being served. The development adds a new dimension to the broader debate over Ghana’s contracting and oversight frameworks in revenue-assurance services, especially in sensitive sectors like oil, gas and minerals.
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