Ernest Owusu Bempah, the Deputy Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has submitted a formal complaint to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) concerning the Airbus Scandal.
He is urging the OSP to prioritize the investigation to provide closure for the Ghanaian public.
Bempah pointed out that both Airbus SE’s acknowledgment of paying nearly $4 billion to settle foreign bribery charges with the United States, Britain, and France and the OSP’s expressed interest in the case necessitate swift action.
“As you are aware Airbus SE has admitted to paying nearly $4 billion to resolve foreign bribery and other charges with authorities in the United States, Britain, and France… It’s been over a year and the public is still in the dark as to where you’re with the investigations. Whereas I do not doubt the competence of your office to get to the bottom of this massive international corruption, I respectfully submit and appeal to your good office to take immediate action in helping the people of Ghana to put this matter behind us,” he wrote.
Recently, during his speech at the opening of the 2023 Ghana Bar Conference in Cape Coast, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo brought up the Airbus Scandal in response to allegations by John Dramani Mahama that he had appointed politically-affiliated judges to the judiciary.
Read Ernest Owusu Bempah’s full letter to the OSP below:
Attention:
Kissi Agyebeng
The Special Prosecutor
Haile Gabrielle Selasse Ave Ridge-Accra
PETITION: Request For Action On The Airbus Corruption
Please accept my compliment.
I write to you to officially call for urgent action on the Airbus SE corruption.
As you are aware Airbus SE has admitted to paying nearly $4 billion to resolve foreign bribery and other charges with authorities in the United States, Britain and France.
The aircraft maker has also admitted using intermediaries over several years to bribe government officials and airline executives in order to win lucrative contracts the world over including Ghana.
Again, the company admitted hiring the brother of a top elected Ghanaian official as its consultant in the sale of the aircraft. Also, Airbus confessed paying the said consultant through a third party when its Compliance Unit raised red flags about the close relationship between the consultant and the top elected official who was a key decision maker in the purchase of the military aircraft.
And rightly so, your good office has signalled its intention to delve into the matter.
It’s been over a year and the public is still in the dark as to where you’re with the investigations.
Whereas I do not doubt the competence of your office to get to the bottom of this massive international corruption, I respectfully submit and appeal to your good office to take immediate action in helping the people of Ghana to put this matter behind us.
The Airbus corruption is the biggest corruption case ever. Indeed, payment of bribes were made and received, and the biggest beneficiary as alleged was former President John Mahama, codenamed as GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL 1 in the US Court documents.
Again, documents were falsified in making the payments to disguise the payment of bribes to GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL 1.
GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL 1 is on the record of the Court as the recipient of the corrupt proceeds from this transaction.
Paragraph 136 of the US Court documents actually described Government official I as having a reputation for bribe taking.
It reads:
“Government Official 1” had such a reputation as a prolific bribe-collector that within three weeks of the election of the incoming Government, AND BEFORE IT WAS SWORN IN, Airbus reached agreement with brother of “Government Official 1,” described in the US version of Court documents as “Individual 1.”
Respectfully, everyone who is privy to the core details of the series of court documents published by the Department of Justice (DOJ) of the United States and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) of the United Kingdom cannot allege ignorance of the persons who have brought our nation into this international shame.
Bearing in mind the above realities, it is most unfortunate that your good office has, for political expediency, treated Mr Mahama with kids gloves.
Like most Ghanaians, I have grown sceptical about the lip service being paid to such a huge international corruption involving our former President.
I may not be a lawyer, but I suspect if those countries can benefit in fines from Airbus for corruption which our country was the real victim, then we believe that your investigations if it yields success can create an even bigger case for Ghana to also seek compensation from Airbus for the damage caused to our national treasury.
Respectfully sir, the nonchalant attitude being deployed on this matter ought to give way to real action.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Ernest Kofi Owusu Bempah
Deputy Director of Communications, NPP