Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu
Former President John Dramani Mahama has descended heavily on Ghana’s Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, saying his handling of issues involving the Airbus bribery scandal constitutes “stupidity”.
This follows revelation by Mr Amidu that the flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress is, indeed, the personality identified as “the elected Government Official One (GO1)” in the bribery scandal that has assumed a global dimension.
Mr Mahama is particularly angered by Mr Amidu’s decision to devote a paragraph of his report on the Agyapa Royalties deal to issues about the Airbus bribery scandal in which he is implicated, together with his “blood brothers”.
According to the Special Prosecutor, he has also establised documentary evidence of suspected forgeries and deceit of a public officer by “the full blood brothers” in the corruption transaction to obtain a Ghanaian passport for Samuel Adam Mahama, who is a “blood brother” of former President Mahama.
He further stated that his Office 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).
However, in spite of identifying the NDC 2020 presidential candidate as the key government official involved in the bribery scandal, Mr Amidu said the former President had not been invited for interrogation because he got himself an insurance as the presidential candidate of the opposition NDC.
‘Coward’, ‘stupidity’
Reacting to development on Tuesday, Mr Mahama described the Special Prosecutor as a “coward”.
“Amidu goes and presents Agyapa investigations and I thought he was a man enough. They say investigate Agyapa, so present a report on Agyapa. If you have investigated Airbus, present a report on Airbus. In the Agyapa report, you know that it is going to be damning of this government and so you go and put one paragraph there about Airbus. Nobody asked you about Airbus,” he said.
“If you were man enough, present Agyapa and do a report on Airbus separately, and then I will come and answer you on Airbus. If you think I am indicted on, accuse me directly. But because he is a coward and they knew Agyapa was going to be discussed today so he put a paragraph on Airbus to equalize the discussion. What stupidity is this?” he said.
Mahama and the bribe
International enforcement authorities in the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, on January 31 2020, simultaneously, approved Deferred Prosecution Agreements with multinational aerospace giant Airbus S.E. in the largest corruption enforcement action in history.
The US Judgment, in describing ‘Individual 1’ (Government Official 1) said “between 2009 and 2016, Individual 1, a citizen of Ghana, was a high-ranking elected Government Official in Ghana during the ITAR time period.
‘Beginning in or around 2009, a few months after Individual 1 took office, Individual 1 was in direct and repeated contact with senior Airbus executives from both the Defence & Space Division and SMO International about Airbus sales campaign.
“Individual 1 was influential in having the Government of Ghana approve aircraft purchases and Individual 1 contacted Airbus senior executives during the government approval process. In 2011, during Individual 1’s time in office, the Ghanaian Parliament approved the purchase of two C-295 aircraft.”
The US Judgment further states that “In fact, Airbus or its vendors had paid, offered, or agreed to pay political contributions, fees, or commissions in connection with these sales in the amount of at least €3,596,523.
Analyst believe what is clear is that “it was for the purposes of paying bribes to Government Official 1 that Consultant 4(Mahama’s brother, Samuel Adam Mahama) was brought into the deal.”
Indeed, the records show that Government Official 1 was in regular contact with Airbus senior officials before his brother was made a consultant to the deal.
About The Author
