Catch a politician on top of your wife and he will deny – Manasseh on Airbus saga

Investigative Journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni has joined in ongoing discussions about the Airbus controversies.

A London High Court found Airbus guilty, and imposed a fine of three billion pounds (£3bn) as penalties. Anti-corruption investigators, according to The Guardian, have described the court's decision as the largest ever corporate fine for bribery in the world. A judge declared the corruption was “grave, pervasive and pernicious.”

The prosecutor stated in court: “Between July 1, 2011 and June 1, 2015, Airbus SE failed to prevent persons associated with Airbus SE 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 business or advantage in the conduct of business for Airbus SE".

With regards to Ghana, the report further stated that Airbus “between 2009 and 2015 engaged intermediary 5, a close relative of a high-ranking elected Ghanaian government official (Government Official 1), as its BP in respect of the proposed sale of three aircraft to the government of Ghana. A number of Airbus employees knew that intermediary 5 was a close relative of Government Official 1, a key decision maker in respect of the sales.

Many have suggested these happened under the Mills and Mahama administration, considering the stated dates.

The NDC has already ‘rubbished’ suggestions that the late Mills and Former President, John Mahama were involved, with reasons that;

“The ‘Approved Judgement of the Crown Court of Southwark, approving the DPA (Deferred Prosecution Agreement) between Airbus and the UK Serious Fraud Office does not allege that any payment was made by Airbus to any Ghanaian Government Official.

“It is therefore gross distortion” it continued, for the “media to conclude that officials of the Ghana Government between 2009 and 2015 were bribed or paid any commissions by Airbus for the acquisition of the Casa C-295 aircrafts.”

But in a post on his social media page, Manasseh, in a subtle denial, said,

“If you catch a politician on top of your wife, he will start denying the affair even before he withdraws.”

If you catch a politician on top of your wife, he will start denying the affair even before he withdraws.

— Manasseh Azure Awuni (@Manasseh_Azure) February 2, 2020

Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has tasked the Office of the Special Prosecutor to conduct an inquiry into the involvement of any public official, "past or present" who may have been engaged in the Airbus bribery scandal.

A statement signed by Eugene Arhin, the Director of Communications at the Presidency said the Office of the Special Prosecutor is “to collaborate with its UK counterparts to conduct a prompt inquiry to determine the complicity or otherwise of any Ghanaian government official, past or present, involved in the said scandal.”

"...And to take the necessary legal action against any such official, as required by Ghanaian law,” the statement added.