Airbus Scandal: Mahama, others will be jailed before December 7 polls – Wontumi

The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Bernard Antwi-Boasiako is of a strong opinion that before December 7 general election is held, former President John Dramani Mahama and some of his appointees will be jailed for corrupt practices while in government.

“Before December 7 polls, Mahama and others in NDC would have been tried and jailed for their alleged corruption in the Airbus scandal”, the Regional Chairman spoke on his network.

The Airbus scandal involved the sale of some aircraft to some countries by the planemaker, Airbus SE, with the help of intermediaries that essentially influenced key decision-makers in those countries so that Airbus SE could sell the aircraft. Earlier this year the company entered into a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) with the Serious Fraud Office of the UK to avoid criminal prosecution. In court documents on Ghana, it stated in coded names a number of government officials who were involved in negotiations leading to the purchase of some military aircraft by Ghana’s government.

“I know for sure that if the Airbus scandal is investigated properly, the former President and other former appointees could be jailed ten years”, Chairman Wontumi added stating Indonesia, Emirsyah Satar has been jailed eight years in connection with the same scandal

Background

Documents released months ago by the DOJ and SFO indicted that Ghana alleges that contrary to section 7 of the UK’s Bribery Act 2010, Airbus failed to prevent its close associates or persons associated with them from “bribing others concerned with the purchase of military transport aircraft by the Government of Ghana, where the said bribery was intended to obtain or retain advantages in the conduct of business.”

The document stated that the bribery allegation took place between 2009 and 2015 where the European Aviation giant engaged the services of a close relative of a high-ranking elected Ghanaian Government official who served as an intermediary to facilitate the sale of three military transport aircraft to the Government of Ghana.

“A number of Airbus employees knew that the intermediary was a close relative of Government Official 1, who was a key decision-maker in respect of the proposed sales.

A number of Airbus employees made or promised success-based commission payments of approximately €5 million to Intermediary 5” the document continued.

Also, the document pointed out that “false documentation was created by or with the agreement of Airbus employees in order to support and disguise these payments. The payments were intended to induce or reward “improper favor” by Government Official 1 towards Airbus.

"Payments were eventually stopped due to the arrangement failing the due diligence processes required by the Liquidation Committee.”

This has led to a series of speculations linking the said government official indicted in the document to former President John Mahama.