Amidu just wants to equalise – Mahama rejects Airbus bribery tag

The 2020 NDC flagbearer has expressed disappointment in the Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu after he linked him to a bribery scandal.

For the umpteenth time, he stressed that “no financial benefit accrued to me, not a single dollar.”

Martin Amidu had named the former president as the person described in the UK report as ‘Government official 1’ who received bribes in the Airbus saga.

What is the Airbus saga?

Aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, has confessed to paying bribes in Ghana and other countries between 2011 and 2015 in a corruption investigation of its business deals dating back more than a decade.

Court documents obtained by theghanareport.com show that Europe’s largest plane maker has been fined 3 billion pounds for greasing the palms of public officials and fixers over a string of hidden payments as part of a pattern of worldwide corruption to facilitate the sales of its wares.

Ghana between 2011 and 2015 acquired three Airbus C295 from the company as part of an effort to augment and modernise the fleet of the Ghana Armed Forces.

The first order of the military aeroplane arrived in Ghana on  November 17, 2011, followed by a second on March 19, 2012. The last order came in on December 4, 2015.

In November 2014, President John Dramani Mahama announced that Ghana would acquire an additional C295, in addition to other aircraft, including five Super Tucanos, Mi-17s and four Z-9s.

In Ghana, Airbus is accused of hiring and disguising payments to a close relative of a government official with no aerospace experience in connection with a sale of military transport planes, the UK’s SFO investigations revealed.

According to the court document between 2009 and 2015 an Airbus defence company engaged an unnamed person, only identified as Intermediary 5, a close relative of a high ranking elected Ghana government official (also not named but referred to as Government Official 1), as its business partner in respect of the proposed sale of three aircraft to the government of Ghana.

 

Martin Amidu weighs in on Airbus saga again

Taking interest in the matter after it was brought to his attention by president Nana Akufo-Addo, Martin Amidu has since named John Mahama as ‘government official 1’

In his latest report on the Agyapa deal involving Ghana’s mineral resources, Martin Amidu once again referred to John Mahama as a beneficiary of bribery.

According to the Special Prosecutor, Mr. Martin Amidu, “the only reason the former President [Mahama] 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.”

He argued that “prudence dictated that the interrogation be held in abeyance during this election season.”

But reacting to the report, NDC flagbearer John Mahama said, the Special Prosecutor was only trying to “equalise” by roping him into a report unrelated to the Agyapa deal.

“I’m disappointed in Martin Amidu for putting that paragraph in his report to equalize things,” he said in an interview on Starr FM, monitored by theghanareport.com.

John Mahama also cast doubt about Martin Amidu’s claim that he has done his investigations the Airbus saga beyond the UK report.

“He should show us what investigation he has done, he should tell us who he has spoken to” Mahama said