Investigative Journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has accused state-owned newspaper Daily Graphic of joining a calculated campaign to protect Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) from public accountability, questioning whether the publication has become a mouthpiece for corruption.
This comes after Daily Graphic ran a headline alleging that unnamed oil cartels were behind a raid by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and National Security on SML’s offices.
“As the state newspaper considered credible, I didn’t expect you to join this shameful agenda. It is even more worrying that you have not learnt a lesson after you published a false story promoting SML on your front page”
Manasseh Azure Awuni, Investigative Journalist
The investigative journalist criticised the newspaper for amplifying a narrative that lacked evidence, citing its history of publishing a false story which claimed SML’s operations had saved Ghana GHS 3 billion.
Awuni revealed that SML’s Managing Director, Christian Sottie, was unable to substantiate this figure when confronted during an investigation. “He could not defend the false claim,” Awuni stated, adding that the publication had “rotten eggs on [its] face.”
He pointed out that Sottie had even dismissed the claim as media misinformation. Despite this, Daily Graphic had previously placed the story prominently on its front page, and Awuni believes the paper has not learnt from that mistake with its latest take on the SML office raid.
SML’s Role Disputed
Awuni, alongside fellow journalists Evans Aziamor-Mensah and Adwoa Adobea-Owusu, conducted an in-depth investigation into SML’s operations. They found that contrary to its claims, SML was not curbing anomalies such as under-reporting, dilution, or diversion of petroleum products.
Other specialised companies already performed these roles in the sector. The evidence uncovered forced SML to delete the misleading claims from its website.
“Even the measurement SML claims to be doing with its flow metres is not used by the NPA or GRA to calculate revenue,” he said, asserting that the Ghana Revenue Authority confirmed this on camera.
Furthermore, SML engineers reportedly admitted that their flow metres were less accurate than the existing metres used by the sector. The current system, known as the Enterprise Relational Database Management System (ERDMS), integrates with the GRA’s Integrated Customs Management Systems (ICUMS) and ensures transparency and control over oil transactions.
The ERDMS alone, Awuni argued, renders SML’s involvement redundant.
Oil Companies Not Affected
The suggestion by Daily Graphic that oil cartels were orchestrating attacks on SML was flatly dismissed by Awuni. He argued that SML had never flagged any oil marketing company, bulk oil distributor, or depot owner for wrongdoing.
“The company was not into that,” Awuni disclosed, referencing a direct response he got from Christian Sottie.
The OSP’s raid on SML, he said, was part of a legitimate anti-corruption probe and had nothing to do with pressure from oil companies. Awuni stressed that the National Petroleum Authority’s electronic monitoring system, not SML, is what actually prevents tax evasion in the downstream sector.
“If you cannot help expose wrongdoing as a media organisation, don’t undermine the efforts of those doing so,” he admonished.
Media Integrity
Awuni did not spare the broader media ecosystem either. He criticised sections of the press for pushing the narrative that SML is being unfairly targeted because it is a Ghanaian business.
Regardless, he argued that patriotism should not shield companies from scrutiny if they are involved in questionable deals. “If a Ghanaian business is involved in dubious deals that cause the state to lose money, should we ignore that?” he asked.
In his view, portraying investigations into SML as attacks sponsored by criminal elements is dishonest and dangerous. These claims have led to accusations that OMCs and BDCs are behind media efforts to undermine SML.
Awuni challenged this premise, noting that SML had already admitted on record that it had never exposed any wrongdoing in the sector, and issued a direct challenge to SML and its supporters.
“Name a single company, business or individual whose anomaly SML has detected after receiving over $141 million in payments from the government”
Manasseh Azure Awuni, Investigative Journalist
Awuni’s concern is that such unfounded media narratives smear legitimate businesses while shielding organisations that have failed to deliver on their stated mandate. He called on stakeholders in the oil industry not to remain silent in the face of misinformation, urging them to protect their reputations by “speaking up.”
In the end, he appealed to Daily Graphic to reflect on its role as a national institution, urging it to stop undermining anti-corruption efforts if it cannot support them. “A state-owned newspaper should not be a mouthpiece for corruption,” Awuni concluded.
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