OSP engages INTERPOL, US, UK authorities over Mahama, others involvement in Airbus scandal

Correction: The second and third paragraphs of this story earlier mentioned Ibrahim Mahama as the individual being targeted for arrest by INTERPOL in connection with the Airbus Scandal. The name of the individual involved is rather Samuel Adam Mahama and this story has been duly amended to reflect that.

The case of the former president of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, involved in an Airbus scandal, has been resurrected by the Officer of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

This time, the OSP has said that it is working with authorities in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and the INTERPOL, under the mutual legal assistance regime as part of efforts to initiate an international arrest warrant for the arrest of some officials, including Samuel Adam Mahama, a brother of the former president, for questioning.

According to a report by asaaseradio.com, the SP, Kissi Agyebeng, said that four British nationals, including Samuel Adam Mahama, are wanted by the Ghanaian authorities for questioning for their roles in the alleged bribery of Ghanaian officials in the purchase of the aircraft from Airbus SE, a European multinational aerospace corporation.

John Mahama and the other names mentioned in this case are being investigated for their roles regarding the sale and purchase of military aircraft for the Republic of Ghana.

The report added that in a half-year report published on July 4, 2023, the Office of the Special Prosecutor said there are allegations that bribes were paid during the sale of some three aircrafts meant for Ghana’s military.

Airbus SE is also said to have admitted that Samuel Adam Mahama was hired as a consultant for the pitch during the presidency of his brother, John Dramani Mahama.

It added that in the 2019 report that was made public, Airbus agreed to pay a record-breaking $4 billion fine to resolve allegations of bribery and corruption in multiple countries, including Ghana.

“The allegations state that Airbus SE paid bribes to various individuals in Ghana in exchange for securing contracts related to the sale and purchase of military aircraft. These alleged bribes were said to have taken place between 2009 and 2015.

"In a report published by The Sun newspaper in the UK, former President Mahama purportedly had link with the middlemen who facilitated the payment of the bribe to key government officials when he was then the sitting Vice President of the Republic in the erstwhile John Evans Ata Mills administration," the report added.

Per the mandate of the OSP, it is supposed to investigate corruption and corruption-related offences committed by both public and private sector works.

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