Ernest Kofi Owusu-Bempah Bonsu, convener of the Fixing the Country Movement, has raised questions about the OSP’s handling of the Airbus corruption investigation involving former President John Mahama.
Owusu-Bempah Bonsu pointed out the irony that the OSP identified former President John Mahama as “Government Official One” in the Airbus bribery scandal, yet exonerated him of all corruption charges.
He noted that the OSP’s decision to close the case raises significant concerns and falls short of expectations.
“In fact, according to admissions and court documents, beginning in at least 2008 and continuing until at least 2015, Airbus engaged in and facilitated a scheme to offer and pay bribes to decision makers and other influencers, including foreign officials, in order to obtain improper business advantages and win lucrative contracts in several countries including Ghana”.
“As a matter of fact, judicial records made public on 31 January 2020 by the British and American authorities, which Airbus acknowledges to be true, show that between 2009 and 2015 an Airbus subsidiary specializing in the defense sector hired the brother of a high-ranking Ghanaian elected official as well as a friend of the said brother and a third person to serve as commercial partners in the sale of three military transport aircraft, model C295, to Ghana”.
Ernest Kofi Owusu-Bempah Bonsu
According to him, the intermediaries between Airbus and former President Mahama, aka “Government Official One”, were revealed to be Philip Middlemiss, a prominent British actor, Leanne Davis, and Samuel Adam Mahama, the brother of John Mahama.
This revelation, Owusu-Bempah Bonsu indicated, confirms the connections between Airbus and Mahama, as identified by US and UK authorities.
He emphasized that the Airbus corruption scandal is, in fact, the largest and most egregious corruption case on record.
Owusu-Bempah Bonsu alleged that bribes were indeed paid and received, with the beneficiary being none other than “Government Official One”.
He highlighted that the US Court documents explicitly characterized Government Official One as having a notorious reputation for accepting bribes.
British Judge Exposed Airbus’ Corrupt Dealings
Furthermore, Ernest Kofi Owusu-Bempah Bonsu noted that the British judge presiding over the case made a significant finding: Airbus had attempted to secure an undue advantage from a Ghanaian government official through bribes.
He observed that consequently, Ghana purchased three Airbus C295 military transport aircraft during the Mills/Mahama presidency, with two acquired in 2011 and one in 2015.
As such, Owusu-Bempah Bonsu questioned the basis for the OSP’s acquittal of the Former President, considering that USA and UK authorities had already established Mahama’s involvement in the Airbus bribery scandal.
“Isn’t it ironic for the OSP to conclude that Mahama didn’t benefit from the Airbus bribery scheme when indeed the UK and US Court documents actually described Government Official One as a beneficiary of the bribery scheme?”
“It is clear that the OSP was faced with a difficult situation very early in his tenure and made a number of mistakes and misjudgments, especially with his conclusion that Mahama wasn’t a beneficiary of the bribery money”.
Ernest Kofi Owusu-Bempah Bonsu
Owusu-Bempah Bonsu emphasized that this case is a critical test of the OSP’s capacity and commitment to investigating and prosecuting high-level alleged criminal offenses.
He cautioned that if the OSP is unable to deliver, then he and like-minded citizens, including the Fixing the Country Movement, will have no choice but to organize mass protests to voice their dissatisfaction.
Owusu-Bempah Bonsu pointed out that the Fixing the Country Movement was the first to submit a petition to the Office of the Special Prosecutor on September 15, 2023, calling for swift action on the Airbus/Mahama case.
He warned that the Movement is giving the OSP an ultimatum to take action within seven days, or else they will be compelled to organize a public demonstration to express their discontent.
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