Martin Amidu and Samuel Adam Foster Mahama
The request to have International Police (Interpol) arrest Samuel Adam Mahama, brother of ex-President John Dramani Mahama, in connection with the Airbus SE five million Euro bribery scandal, was at the instance of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) headed by Martin Amidu.
A police statement signed by DSP Juliana Obeng, Head of Public Affairs of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), confirmed that the OSP had made the request to raise a “Red Notice” through the Interpol for the arrest of the ex-President’s younger brother, together with his accomplices, namely Sarah Furneaux, Sarah Leanne Davis and Philip Sean Middlemiss, who are all believed to be British.
“Following a request by the Office of the Special Prosecutor through the Criminal Investigation Department to the Interpol General Secretariat, the latter has issued a Red Notice in respect of the following individuals – Samuel Adam Foster, alias Adam Mahama, Philip Sean Middlemiss, Leanne Sarah Davis and Sarah Furneaux,” the statement said.
It added that “the above mentioned individuals have been published on the Interpol Red Notice in connection with the Airbus scandal being handled by the Office of the Special Prosecutor.”
Fugitives
The four individuals are “fugitives wanted for prosecution” for their alleged roles in accepting and paying €3,909,756 as bribe on behalf of Airbus SE to some key Ghanaian public officials from 2009 to 2015.
On Friday, July 10, 2020, the Interpol published a Red Notice on its public website requesting law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest the four individuals, pending their extradition to Ghana.
There is no time limit for the expiry date of the Red Notice or arrest warrant issued to track down the four individuals.
According to the summary of facts of the case as set out in the “Red Notice”, between 2009 and 2015, Airbus SE engaged Mr. Mahama, brother of former President John Dramani Mahama, and Mr. Middlemiss to accept and pay €3.9 million as bribe to some Ghanaian public officials to approve the sale of three C-295 military aircraft to the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
The notice said further that the suspects, Mr. Mahama and Mr. Middlemiss, together with their accomplices, Ms. Davis and Ms. Furneaux, in order to conceal and facilitate the bribery payment incorporated Deedum Ltd. Ghana, Deedum Ltd. UK and Furneaux Ltd UK to consult on behalf of Airbus SE.
“The suspects and their accomplices succeeded in using the companies and intermediaries to receive the bribe from Airbus SE. Subsequently, the suspects and their accomplices paid bribes to key public officials to influence their decision to purchase three aircraft on behalf of Ghana,” the notice added.
Indeed, the facts of the case have established that the €3.9 million bribe money was offered by the suspects and their accomplices “to influence and induce public officials in Ghana in their decision-making, which gave Airbus SE an overbearing and overriding advantage in the sale of the three aircraft to the Government of Ghana.”
By Ernest Kofi Adu