A Deputy Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Ernest Owusu-Bempah, has petitioned the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, to take immediate action over the alleged Airbus bribery scandal.
In his petition, he stated that “Airbus SE has admitted to paying nearly $4 billion to resolve foreign bribery and other charges with authorities in the United States, Britain, and France.
“The aircraft maker has also admitted using intermediaries over several years to bribe government officials and airline executives in order to win lucrative contracts the world over, including Ghana. Again, the company admitted hiring the brother of a top elected Ghanaian official as its consultant in the sale of the aircraft.”
According to him, Airbus confessed to paying the said consultant through a third party when its Compliance Unit raised red flags about the close relationship between the consultant and the top elected official who was a key decision-maker in the purchase of the military aircraft.
“Your good office has signaled its intention to delve into the matter. It’s been over a year, and the public is still in the dark as to where you are with the investigations. Whereas I do not doubt the competence of your office to get to the bottom of this massive international corruption,
Adding that “the Airbus corruption is the biggest corruption case ever, Indeed, payments of bribes were made and received, and the biggest beneficiary, as alleged, was former President John Mahama, codenamed government official 1 in the US Court documents”, he pointed out.
“Government Official 1” had such a reputation as a prolific bribe-collector that within three weeks of the election of the incoming government, and before it was sworn in, Airbus reached an agreement with the brother of “Government Official 1,” described in the US version of court documents as “Individual 1.”
To him, everyone who is privy to the core details of the series of court documents published by the Department of Justice (DOJ) of the United States and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) of the United Kingdom cannot allege ignorance of the persons who have brought our nation into this international shame.
“Bearing in mind the above realities, it is most unfortunate that your good office has, for political expediency, treated Mr. Mahama with kid gloves. Like most Ghanaians, I have grown sceptical about the lip service being paid to such huge international corruption involving our former President”, he said.
I may not be a lawyer, but I suspect if those countries can benefit from fines from Airbus for corruption, of which our country was the real victim, then we believe that your investigations, if they yield success, can create an even bigger case for Ghana to also seek compensation from Airbus for the damage caused to our national treasury.
He furthered that “I may not be a lawyer, but I suspect if those countries can benefit from fines from Airbus for corruption, of which our country was the real victim, then we believe that your investigations, if they yield success, can create an even bigger case for Ghana to also seek compensation from Airbus for the damage caused to our national treasury,” said Ernest Owusu Bempah.
Source: oyerepafmonline.com/ Bernard K Dadzie
