Martin Amidu (left), Samuel Adam Foster, aka Samuel Adam Mahama(right)
It has emerged that Samuel Adam Foster, aka Samuel Adam Mahama, brother of former President John Dramani Mahama, who was expected in the country yesterday to face the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) headed by Martin A. B. K. Amidu in the raging four million Euros Airbus SE scandal, could not make the trip.
The Special Prosecutor (SP) had reportedly sent a ticket through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Adam Mahama to voluntarily join the stranded Ghanaians who were returning home yesterday on a chartered flight by government, but he was not on board.
It is still unclear why Adam Mahama, who is being sought alongside three other foreigners through an International Police Organization (Interpol) Red Notice, could not honour the invitation, but DAILY GUIDE is reliably informed that the ticket which was bought by Mr. Amidu’s office was delivered to the London home of the suspect on Saturday.
Information gathered indicated that the stranded Ghanaians went through Amstardam, Holland en route to Accra, but Adam Mahama was reportedly not part of the group that touched down at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
The SP was expecting the former President’s brother to voluntarily join a flight from London arranged by government for stranded Ghanaians in the UK due to the Covid-19 restrictions worldwide.
‘Unveiling’ Mahama
Last Friday, the SP ‘unveiled’ former President Mahama as the Government Official 1 or Individual 1 that both the United Kingdom and United States investigators referred to in the Airbus SE scandal.
Mr. Amidu’s office has been pursuing the former President’s brother, Adam Mahama, particularly described as Intermediary 5 in the investigations, and three other foreigners, who have been mentioned as individuals who collected or were paid around four million Euros in bribes on behalf Ghanaian top officials for the supply of aircraft to the Ghana Armed Forces during Mr. Mahama’s tenure as Vice-President and later President.
Fresh Letter
He had said in a fresh statement last Friday that he had written to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to give Adam Mahama the chance to voluntarily join an emergency flight for Ghanaians stranded in the United Kingdom to return to Ghana on Monday, July 27, to face prosecution over the alleged Airbus bribery case.
The SP said he was being attacked by persons close to Mr. Mahama who he said were saying that he (Mr. Amidu) is tainting his (Mahama) image when, in fact, he said he wanted to pursue the case devoid of politicization.
Mr. Amidu’s letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had the title: “The Special Prosecutor’s urgent request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate the possibility of Samuel Adam Foster (Samuel Adam Mahama) voluntarily offering to be assisted to come to Ghana on the evacuation flight from London to Accra for Ghanaians on July 27, 2020.”
“This office has today written a letter with reference number OSP/SCR/2D/34/20 dated July 24, 2020 to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to offer Samuel Adam Foster also known as Samuel Adam Mahama the opportunity to accept to voluntarily evacuate on the evacuation flight for Ghanaian citizens stranded in the United Kingdom to return to Ghana through a scheduled flight on July 27, 2020.”
Blood Brother
According to Mr. Amidu, “This office’s letter states, amongst other reasons for the letter to the said ministry, that Mr. Mahama’s elder brother of full blood, who without doubt and the evidence available to this office answers to the description of the elected Government Official I allegedly granted a denial interview to the Daily Graphic which published same on June 20, 2020, fortunately containing suspected admissions that he was the elected Government Official I referred to in the UK judgement.”
He said that “serving appointees of this government have been unable to obtain the voice recording of the interview to enable this office to confront the former President with his own admissions in the interview as answering to the description of the brother of Samuel Mahama as the Intermediary 5.”
Personal Attacks
Mr. Amidu said that, nonetheless, “this office and the person of the Special Prosecutor continue to be attacked as ‘a bitter old man’ settling scores with Samuel Adam Mahama and his accomplices who the Special Prosecutor does not know and has never met.”
No Politics
The SP said he explained in the letter to the ministry on the need that the case should not be politicized and must be treated purely as a criminal matter.
“The letter also argues that it is very important for the depoliticization of this case; therefore, for this office to request the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ask the High Commission in the UK to urgently facilitate the voluntary evacuation of Samuel Adama Mahama to Ghana in order to assuage not only his own image but also that of his brother, the former President, who accuses this office of tainting his image by the investigation of the suspected allegations.
“This is because until Samuel Mahama answers in court for the suspected allegations discovered by the investigation of this office against him as a Ghanaian citizen, the unwarranted politicization of this simple corruption crime by his family and supporters will continue,” he added.
Voluntary Acceptance
He said his letter concluded that “Samuel Adam Mahama must be given the opportunity to voluntarily accept to return to Ghana and put himself upon the Republic of Ghana to vindicate himself and save this country of the millions of foreign exchange from the public purse that must be expended to extradite him to Ghana from the UK or any other country in execution of the Interpol Red Notice issued against him as a fugitive wanted for prosecution as published on July 10, 2020.”
“The fight against the Airbus SE (Ghana) corruption, everybody agrees, is not a political matter. Consequently, every patriotic Ghanaian who believes in the anti-corruption fight must support and encourage this office to impartially get to the root of this allegation of corruption against the public purse and urge Samuel Adam Mahama to accept the opportunity to voluntarily evacuate to Ghana as a patriotic citizen of Ghana to vindicate his image and that of his family,” Mr. Amidu added.
By Ernest Kofi Adu