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Peacefmonline.com can confirm that the Office of the President has charged the Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, to with immediate effect delve into the bottom of the Airbus bribery scandal and investigate the complicity of any public official, "past or present" who may have been involved in the saga.

A statement signed by Communications Director at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin stated that these investigations are expected to be conducted in collaboration with the United Kingdom authorities.

"The attention of the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has been drawn to a 31st January, 2020 judgement of the Crown Court at Southwark, in the United Kingdom, between the Director of the Serious Fraud Office and Airbus SE, in which the European multinational aerospace corporation has been fined $3.9 billion for the payment of bribes to secure deals in five countries, including Ghana.... 

"....President Akufo-Addo has taken notice of the judgement and its implications, and has referred it to the Office of Special Prosecutor to collaborate with its UK counterparts to conduct a prompt inquiry to determine the complicity or otherwise of any Ghanaian government official, past or present, involved in the said scandal, and to take the necessary legal action against any such official, as required by Ghanaian law," the statement read.

Gov't Official 1 & Intermediary 5

According to The Guardian of the UK, Airbus, Europe’s largest aerospace multinational, was found guilty by a High Court in London for paying huge bribes in “Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Taiwan and Ghana secure contracts between 2009 and 2015". 

With regards to Ghana, the report further stated that the planemaker, according to Section 7 of UK’s Bribery Act 2010, “between 2009 and 2015 engaged intermediary 5, a close relative of a high-ranking elected Ghanaian government official (Government Official 1), as its BP in respect of the proposed sale of three aircraft to the government of Ghana. A number of Airbus employees knew that intermediary 5 was a close relative of Government Official 1, a key decision maker in respect of the sales.

A number of Airbus employees made or promised success-based commission payments of approximately £5 million to the intermediary. False documentation was created by or with the agreement of Airbus employees in order to support and disguise these payments. The payments were intended to induce or reward improper favour by the Government Official 1 towards Airbus.”

Ruling

A London High Court found Airbus guilty, and imposed a fine of three billion pounds (£3bn) as penalties.

Airbus was charged with five counts of failing to prevent bribery, having used a network of secret agents to pay large-scale backhanders to officials in foreign countries to land high-value contracts.

Anti-corruption investigators, according to The Guardian, have described the court's decision as the largest ever corporate fine for bribery in the world. A judge declared the corruption was “grave, pervasive and pernicious.”

Why Probe When Ghana Did Not Lose Any Money?

Meanwhile, even before the Office of the Special Prosecutor, tasked by President Akufo-Addo to unravel the complicity of any past or present public official in the infamous Airbus scandal, Former Head of Communications at the Presidency during ex-President Mahama’s tenure, Stan Xoese Dogbe believes considering "Ghana did not lose any money" there is need for government to investigate the matter.

The aide to the former President, in a Facebook post, wants the Akufo-Addo government to rather probe his corruption-laden "family and cronies" appointees; their sordid enterprises which are "still fresh in the minds of Ghanaians".

"Ha ha ha!! Finally, the SP [Special Prosecutor] will have some work to do."

"But please, Mr. Akufo-Addo, given that Gov’t of Ghana did not lose any money in this Airbus matter, and yet you are willing to attempt some so-called investigation, just asking, why wont you rather investigate the nepotism-induced $24m tax waiver you gave to your in-law which will be at a cost to the tax payer?"

"The criminal PDS scandal involving your family and cronies is also still fresh in our minds ooo!" Mr Dogbe posted.