Airbus Scandal: Mahama named as ‘Government Official One’

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has disclosed the identity of “Government Official One” in the Airbus Scandal.

Speaking at a press conference in Accra, the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, said that the “Government Official One” tag used in the UK and US courts in the Airbus case refers to former President John Dramani Mahama.

“In the past four and a half years, the OSP confirms the identities of the following individuals. The individual described as ‘Government Official One’ by the UK court and ‘Individual One’ by the US court is John Dramani Mahama. He is a citizen of Ghana. He was the Vice President of Ghana from January 7, 2009 to July 24, 2012.

“He was the President of Ghana from 24 July 2012 to 7 January 2017. His tenure of office as the Vice President of Ghana coincided with the timeframe of the UK and US investigation of the first Airbus campaign for the sale of two C295 aircraft to Ghana. His term of office as the President of Ghana occurred during the UK and US investigation timeframe of the second Airbus campaign for the sale of one C295 aircraft to Ghana,” the Special Prosecutor stated.

Kissi Agyebeng also disclosed that the Consultant 4 label in the Airbus Scandal referred to Mahama’s brother, Samuel Adam Mahama.

He, however, indicated that the investigation found no wrongdoing against the former president and his brother and cleared them of any misconduct.

About the Airbus Scandal:

Airbus, the European aircraft manufacturer, was alleged to have paid bribes in Ghana when it sold three military aircraft.

The aerospace multinational admitted hiring the brother of a top elected Ghanaian official as its consultant for the pitch to sell the aircraft to the country.

Also, Airbus confessed to paying the said consultant through a third party when its Compliance Unit raised red flags about the close relationship between the consultant and the top elected official, who was a key decision-maker in the purchase of the military aircraft.

Former President John Dramani Mahama was one of the government officials implicated in the scandal, with the former Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, alleging that the "Government Official One" label in the scandal referred to the former president.

Amidu, in an epistle while in office as Special Prosecutor, revealed how John Mahama allegedly used his office to guarantee a Ghanaian passport for his brother Samuel Adam Mahama.

Martin Amidu said, "Amongst other reasons for the letter to the said Ministry, Samuel Adam Mahama's elder brother of full blood, who without a doubt and the evidence available to this Office answers to the description of the elected Government Official 1, allegedly granted a denial interview to the Daily Graphic which published the same on June 20, 2020, fortunately containing suspected admissions that he is the elected Government Official 1 referred to in the UK judgement.

"Serving appointees of this government have been unable to obtain the voice recording of this interview to enable the Office to confront the former president with his own admissions in the interview as answering to the description of the brother of Samuel Adam Mahama as Intermediary 5."

John Mahama, however, denied the allegations and challenged Amidu, who was in office at the time, to prosecute him if he was indeed the said Government Official One.

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