The Airbus bribery scandal, which was linked to a top government official in the erstwhile Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration and sparked a heated political debate a few months ago, has been rekindled.
This is because newspapers in the United Kingdom (UK) have started revealing that prosecutors in Ghana have been going after ex-Corrie star, Phil Middlemiss, believed to be ‘a best friend’ of ex-President John Dramani Mahama’s brother.
According to the Sun tabloid, the former actor, who played womanizing bookie, Des Barnes, for eight years in the 1990s, was named in investigation by the Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu.
Main Scandal
The UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and the United States authorities in documents sent to court quoted at least €5 million as payment of kickbacks to a top Ghanaian official through an intermediary who is a close relative of “a high-ranking elected Ghanaian government official” during the Mahama administration.
Key Actors
There are six key actors involved in the corruption-infested case regarding Ghana and the UK investigators from the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) which have lined them up as Government Official 1 (high ranking and elected), Intermediary 5 (British national and close relative of Government Official 1), Company D (corporate vehicle for Intermediary 5 – shareholder), Intermediary 6 (British national and associate of Intermediary 5), Intermediary 7 (British national and associate of Intermediary 5), as well as Intermediary 8 (Spanish company and front for Intermediary 5).
In the UK Crown Court documents, the SFO names the elected NDC guru as ‘Government Official 1’ and that powerful official is the same person being referred to as ‘Individual 1’ in the US court documents.
In the same vein, ‘Intermediary 5’ in the UK court documents who has been described as the brother of the powerful elected official in Ghana is the same person being referred to as ‘Consultant 4’ by the US authorities.
NPP Daring Move
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) categorically stated that the Government Official 1 or Individual 1 in the case of the US is ex-President Mahama and has asked him to ‘clear’ himself on the findings of the UK court.
UK Tabloids
According to the Scottish Sun newspaper, the Coronation Street’s Des Barnes actor is being sought for questioning over the alleged €5 million bribery scandal in the sale of three Airbus C-295 military planes to Ghana.
Former President Mahama was accused of having links to a corrupt network which received kickbacks during the contract process, the newspaper reported.
It said Middlemiss, 56, moved to Ghana after leaving the ITV soap to make a film but ran out of funding before it was finished.
“He then worked as a ‘travel consultant’ and said in one interview that his best friend’s brother was vice-president of the country,” the paper reported further.
The NDC, which was in power at the time, had denied claims that Airbus paid bribes for the sale of the three Airbus C-295 military planes to Ghana, the newspaper said.
Presidential Request
However, President Akufo-Addo said the country would “conduct a prompt inquiry to determine the complicity or otherwise of any Ghanaian government official, past or present.”
According to the Sun newspaper, Ghana’s Special Prosecutor launched a formal investigation in February this year and announced he had summoned four people and released their passport details online.
It indicated that among the four included “Middlemiss, who lives in a smart £400,000 detached property in Greater Manchester despite him, being declared bankrupt in 2012 over unpaid taxes.”
“Two other Britons and a UK/Ghanaian citizen are wanted for questioning,” the newspaper claimed, and added that in January, the Airbus agreed to pay a £3 billion fine after the UK, US and French authorities launched a joint investigation into the use of middlemen to sell planes.
The paper reported that in March this year, Mr. Amidu revealed Middlemiss — whose Street co-stars included Raquel Watts and actress Sarah Lancashire — was suspected of working as a project manager for Airbus.
Special Prosecutor
The paper quoted the Office of the Special Prosecutor as having issued a public notice, saying the four “are hereby invited to assist the ongoing investigation of bribery and corruption totalling more than €5 million.”
The investigation also includes “collaborating with Ghanaian public officers to use their public office for private profit or benefit in the purchase of three C-295 aircraft by the Government of Ghana from Airbus,” the newspaper reported.
Accused Speaks
It indicated that Middlemiss’s girlfriend, Leanne Davis, claimed in an interview with the paper that they had no knowledge of any investigation by the Ghanaian authorities.
She was quoted to have said, “I don’t know anything about that. Phil’s not here. I am not sure when he will be back.”
Pressed again, she replied, “I don’t know what you are talking about,” before closing her door, the paper said.
By Ernest Kofi Adu