How Airbus paid bribes for the sale of military aircrafts to Ghana in 2009, 2015

According to documents released by a UK Court, it has emerged that some top representatives from government of Ghana under the Mills-Mahama administration took bribes from the world’s largest airliner manufacturer, Airbus between 2009 and 2015.

UK prosecutors said that Airbus employees promised success-based commission payments of approximately €5 million euros to bribe government officials to acquire a proposed sale of military aircrafts to Ghana.

Though names were not mentioned, the court documents revealed that a close relative of a top government official was "a key decision-maker in respect of the proposed sale of three military transport aircraft, adding that; "A number of Airbus employees knew that (Intermediary 5 (five) as listed by the court was a close relative of a government official from Ghana"

"False documentation was created by or with the agreement of Airbus employees in order to support and disguise these payments,” the court's documents further revealed.

Prosecutors added that the company during investigations failed to prevent individuals associated with the company from bribery involving other airlines.

“Between 1 July 2011 and 1 June 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,” the court’s statement indicated.

Airbus which has now been found guilty is expected to pay just under 1 billion euros ($1.11 billion) in a British settlement to draw a line under a three-and-a-half year criminal investigation into allegations of fraud, bribery and corruption.

The deal under a three-year Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA), ratified in London’s High Court on Friday, means the European plane maker avoids prosecution in London in a case that spanned transactions involving more than a dozen countries.

Read the court’s narration on Ghana below: