Airbus scandal: Presidents and vice presidents should be insulated from direct commercial dealings – OSP
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has concluded its investigation into the Airbus bribery scandal, recommending that presidents and vice presidents should be prevented from direct commercial dealings to prevent potential conflicts of interest and corruption.
Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, August 8, Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng stated that while the investigation found no evidence of bribery, former President Mahama’s direct participation in commercial communications and meetings with Airbus officials raised reasonable suspicions of improper conduct.
“Then again, the direct participation of the President and the Vice President (on behalf of the Republic) in commercial communications and meetings with commercial entities should not be encouraged either – as they expose these elected high officials to the spectre of the slightest hint of perceived corruption that may attend international business transactions. The President and Vice President should be insulated from such direct commercial dealings,” he suggested.
The OSP’s report highlighted the need for elected high officials to maintain a safe distance from commercial dealings to avoid any perceived corruption.
According to the OSP’s report, the familial relationship between former President Mahama and Samuel Adam Foster, as blood-related siblings, raised suspicions of corruption, improper conduct and dealings, notwithstanding any claims of good faith conduct in the Airbus deal especially because during the first Airbus campaign, the former President Mahama was the Chairman of the Armed Forces Council because of his position as the Vice President and therefore a key decision-maker.
The OSP added that the investigation revealed that the familial relationship between former President Mahama and Samuel Adam Foster contributed to the UK and US DPAs’ scrutiny.
“Indeed, it seems to the OSP that the only reasons why the Airbus-Ghana deal found its way into the UK and US DPAs were the fact that former President Mahama and Samuel Adam Foster were brothers of the full blood; and that former President Mahama directly participated in commercial communications and meetings with Airbus officials.”
Background
Airbus, a leading aircraft manufacturer, admitted to paying bribes in Ghana and other countries between 2011 and 2015 as part of a widespread corruption investigation into its business practices.
The company was fined £3 billion for making secret payments to public officials and intermediaries to facilitate sales, revealing a pattern of global corruption.
In March 2020, Ghana’s Attorney General identified former President John Mahama as the government official mentioned in British court documents, alleging that he played a key role in enabling his brother, Samuel Adams Mahama, and three British nationals – Philip Sean Middlemiss, Leanne Sarah Davis, and Sarah Furneaux – to benefit from the Airbus bribery scheme.
The aircraft in question were purchased for the military during Mahama’s tenure as Vice President and Chairman of the Armed Forces Council and Police Council, with critics labelling the deals as non-transparent and overpriced.