The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Mines Committee, John Jinapor, has punched holes in the Ghana Revenue Authority’s statement on government’s contract with Strategic Mobilization Ghana Limited (SML) which insists that the deal saved Ghana GH¢3 billion.

GRA denied a publication by 'The Fourth Estate' that it awarded a 'questionable' contract to SML to monitor Upstream Petroleum Production and to audit the value chain of Minerals and Metals Resources.

In a statement, the authority affirmed that together with the Ministry of Finance, it signed a consolidated contract with SML to monitor and audit the Downstream Petroleum Sector in 2019, Upstream Petroleum Production in 2023, and the Minerals and Metals Resources Value Chain in 2023.

It explained that the contract is designed to operate for five years contrary to the 10 years published by The Fourth Estate.

In an interview on Joy FM’s Top Story on Wednesday, Mr Jinapor, in response said the Ghana Revenue Authority’s statement raises more questions.

This, according to him, reinforces his call for an abrogation of the contract.

“The GRA statement worsens the situation. Indeed, it exacerbates the situation. First of all, the GRA should tell us why SML. What are their core competencies? What makes them so unique and special that despite all the measures that NPA has put in place, and linking that system to ICUMS, GRA still believes that they have to go and put a deep stick to check the volume of petroleum products in the tanks? This is so mind-boggling,” he said.

He insisted that the contract with SML was inimical to the nation’s interest.

According to him, the contract will only enrich the pockets of some few greedy individuals, adding that there is no value for money.

Earlier, the Minority had demanded a full-scale Parliamentary probe into the contract between the Government of Ghana and SML to safeguard billions of cedis that might have been lost in the downstream petroleum sector.