Airbus Scandal: Special Prosecutor did a ‘clean’ independent job – Domelevo

Anti-corruption campaigner and former Auditor General Daniel Yaw Domelevo is full of praise for the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, for conducting thorough and independent investigations into the Airbus Scandal, even though the request to conduct the investigations came from the Presidency.

Domelevo explained that the Special Prosecutor could have conducted the investigations in a way to please the President, given the political nature of the investigations. However, the Special Prosecutor performed his work diligently and independently, unlike some public servants who might have skewed the investigations to favor or meet the expectations of the President.

“I was full of commendations for him, especially when a request comes from the office of the President. Public servants are likely to read between the lines to align with what they think the President wants or wanted. But I believe he independently conducted his assessments and came out with his report,” Mr. Domelevo said on Channels One TV’s The Big Issue programme on August 10, 2024.

He noted that while there are mixed reactions to the report exonerating former President John Mahama of any wrongdoing related to corruption and corruption-related offenses, he is pleased that the Office of the Special Prosecutor conducted an independent investigation.

“Some aspects of the report did not sit well with Ghanaians. Some Ghanaians are very happy about the report. But be that as it may, my satisfaction is that he has done his work independently and boldly presented his findings,” he added.

President Akufo-Addo had referred the Airbus Scandal Deferred Prosecution Agreements in France, the UK, and the US, in which aircraft manufacturer Airbus SE paid nearly 4 billion dollars to the governments over unfair trade practices, to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) since Ghana was one of the countries Airbus SE sold aircraft to and seemed to have unduly influenced the decision-makers.

After four years of investigating the matter, the OSP has cleared John Mahama and his brother, Samuel Adam Forster, of any wrongdoing related to corruption and corruption-related offenses.