The Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu has disclosed that he is holding on with investigations into John Dramani Mahama’s alleged involvement in the infamous Airbus scandal till after the December 7 general elections.
The 5-million euro bribery scandal caused public uproar in Ghana, triggering a political blame game.
The Special Prosecutor had previously sent out invitations to four persons in connection with investigations into the airbus transaction.
The Special Prosecutor in his report on the Agyapa deal also disclosed that Mr. Mahama’s links to the deal had been noted, but the probe had only been suspended due to the electioneering campaign.
Read Martin Amidu’s comment on the matter below:
This Office also has warrants of arrest issued by the Courts of Ghana, and an Interpol Red Alert Notice outstanding for execution in the case of the Republic v Samuel Adam Mahama and Others (known as the Airbus SE — Ghana Bribery Scandal involving the then Government of Ghana), not to talk of documentary evidence of suspected forgeries and deceit of a public officer by the three full-blood brothers in the corruption transaction to obtain a Ghanaian passport for Samuel Adam Mahama.
This Office has established the identity of elected Government official 1 to be former President John Dramani Mahama whose brother of the full blood is Samuel Adam Foster also known as Samuel Adam Mahama. The only reason the former President has not been invited for interrogation (in spite of all threats from some of his followers and lawyers) is the fact that he got himself an insurance as the Presidential candidate of the other largest political party in Ghana and prudence dictated that the interrogation be held in abeyance during this election season.
The former President has also not offered to make any voluntary statement to this Office despite the publication of an alleged interview containing admissions purportedly made by the former President to a Daily Graphic reporter without the full voice recording which in the meantime remains just hearsay.
Background
On January 31, 2020, Ghana was cited as one of five countries in which global aerospace group, Airbus SE, allegedly bribed or promised payments to senior officials in exchange for business favours between 2009 and 2015, according to the UK’s Serious Fraud Office.
This led to a record £3 billion in settlement by Airbus with France, the United Kingdom and the United States to avoid corporate criminal charges.
President Akufo-Addo later referred the Airbus bribery scandal to the Office of the Special Prosecutor for investigations.
