President Nana Akufo-Addo
President Nana Akufo-Addo has directed the Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, to conduct an inquiry of complicity or otherwise of any Ghanaian government official in the Airbus bribery scandal.
The order comes after Airbus was fined $3.9 billion in the United Kingdom for the payments of bribes to secure deals in some countries including Ghana, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Taiwan.
Airbus was fined by the Crown Court at Southwark and the Serious Fraud Office of the United Kingdom.
The Statement of Facts in the case indicated that between 2009 and 2015, “a number of Airbus employees made or promised success based commission payments of approximately €5 million to intermediary 5.”
Intermediary 5 is said to be a close relative of a high ranking elected Ghanaian Government official.
Late President Mills and former President John Mahama were in power between 2009 and January 2017.
A communication from the Jubilee House, signed by Director of Communications at the presidency, Eugene Arhin, announcing the President’s directive, said the President has taken notice of the judgment and has referred it to the Office of the Special Prosecutor to collaborate with its UK counterparts to conduct a prompt inquiry to determine the complicity of any Ghanaian Government official – past or present – involved in the said scandal and to take the necessary legal action against such official.
BY Melvin Tarlue