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Member of Parliament (MP) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for North Tongu in the Volta region, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, says former President John Dramani Mahama will break his silence on the £ 5m Airbus scandal that has taken international dimension.
Mr. Mahama has been touched, with a British tabloid, The Sun, practically nailing him as “government official 1” in the scandal.
Mr. Mahama is said to be linked to a “corrupt business network”.
Speaking recently on Onua TV, Ablakwa says Mahama had commented on the saga through the former Attorney General.
“You tell your lawyer to speak for you,” according to him.
It should be recalled that on Friday, February 1, the United Kingdom Courts of Justice found the Dutch firm Airbus SE guilty of paying bribes in shady deals in some countries, including Ghana, South Korea, Mexico, Colombia and Malaysia.
For Ghana, the scandal involved government officials in 2011 and 2015 who negotiated the deal with Airbus agents, including Samuel Mahama, who is believed to be the brother of former President John Mahama.
“Between 2009 and 2015, an Airbus defense company hired Intermediary 5, a close relative of a senior Ghanaian Government official-elect (Government Official 1) as its BP regarding the proposed sale of three military transport aircraft to the Government of Ghana. ” the ruling on the Ghana deal is read in part.
“Several Airbus employees knew that Intermediary 5 was a close relative of Government Official 1, who was a key decision maker regarding the proposed sales. Several Airbus employees made or promised commission payments based on the success of approximately € 5 million to broker 5 ”.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo immediately referred the matter to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (PASB) with Martin Amidu, the Special Prosecutor initiating a formal investigation into the scandal.
In February, he announced that he had summoned four people, including British actor Phil Middlemiss and Samuel Mahama, and disclosed the details of his passport online.
Dead silence
The NDC flag bearer and former President John Mahama have declined to speak about the Airbus scandal since the story came out with The Sun linking it strongly to the bribery scandal.
During a recent visit by fishermen from the western region to the private residence of the NDC flag bearer in Accra, Mahama deftly avoided the Airbus problem even when his guests had asked his position on it.
The fishermen had asked for clarification and their position on the scandal as it mentioned their administration.
They said they were confused about the Airbus saga and that the former president should clear the air, but he evaded the question and rather launched into a tirade against the government.
It is not the first time that Mahama dodges the corruption problems that directly link him.
Many cases abound, including the Ford “bribery”, the Bugri Naabu auto bribery scandal and the Brazilian Embraer jets scandal, which was investigated.
When the Ford expedition was launched at him by a Burkinabe highway contractor in exchange for alleged contracts, the former president remained silent on the case until today.
When he allegedly bribed then NPP North regional president Daniel Bugri Naabu with cash and Mitsubishi Pajero in the heat of the 2016 election campaign, he ignored the furious issue by pretending that nothing had happened.
In Embraer’s case, when Martin Amidu dropped the hint that former President Atta Mills ordered the investigation of the case because then-Vice President John Mahama had become corrupted by stopping the transaction, Mahama never opened his mouth about the case.
There are several other cases of corruption that Mahama highlighted but did not respond to typical of him.
Source: Daily Guide
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