Decision not to prosecute Mahama over Airbus bribe had presidential consent – Amidu

The former Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, says his decision to hold on to the prosecution of former president John Mahama had presidential consent.

Martin Amidu said President Nana Akufo-Addo cannot now turn back to criticise this decision, calling it “strange” and “untenable.”

President John Mahama had been indicted in the Special Prosecutor’s report for his alleged role in the Airbus bribery scandal that involved payments to government officials to facilitate the procurement of military aircraft.

The investigations done by the UK and US authorities showed the bribery scandal involved several countries including Ghana.

In Ghana’s case, the ultimate beneficiary of the bribe payment was named in UK official documents as ‘Government Official One’ described as a highly placed political authority.

President Nana Akufo-Addo directed investigations into the saga in a letter to the Office of the Special Prosecutor who has concluded that this official is John Mahama.

But citing security concerns, Martin Amidu said, he would not prosecute Mr. Mahama because he is the 2020 presidential candidate of the main opposition, the National Democratic Congress.

Martin Amidu resigned suddenly from office, accusing the president of interfering in his other investigations into another scandal, the Agyapa Royalties deal.

The presidency has flatly rejected this accusation and said in the president’s defence that he did not challenge Martin Amidu’s strange exercise of discretion on the Airbus scandal after he has “erroneously and without moral or legal basis decided to confer immunity from the investigation” on Mahama.

As predicted, Martin Amidu has responded, explaining that the president was involved in that decision because of its national security implications.

“The President also knows that he instructed a Minister of State while he the President was on a campaign tour in the Northern Region to liaise with me to explore whether or not it was prudent to investigate former President Mahama after he won his party’s primaries to be its flagbearer. The President was briefed as Chairman of the National Security Council as to why the investigation had to be held in abeyance till after the election and he consented to it. I can prove this with mathematical precision if the President so wishes.”

“I took the decision  to hold in abeyance  the investigation of former President John Dramani Mahama with the knowledge and consent  of the President  as the Chairman of the National Security  Council  on purely national  security grounds  and not politics”