Mahama is 'Government Official One' in Airbus scandal - OSP confirms

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has revealed, following its investigations into the Airbus scandal, that John Mahama is ‘Government Official One’ in the Airbus SE case.

The OSP announced during a press briefing on Thursday, August 8, that Mahama was identified as Government Official One by the UK and US courts during their investigations.

“The OSP confirms the identity of the following individuals. The individual described as Government Official 1 by the UK court and Individual One by the US court is John Dramani Mahama. He is a citizen of Ghana and was the Vice-President of Ghana from 7 January 2009 to 24 July 2012,” the OSP stated.

He, however, said there's no evidence of corruption against Adam Mahama and John Mahama, and there will be no criminal prosecution against them

John Dramani Mahama, a former President and now flagbearer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), was Vice President at the time the incident occurred.

Ghana purchased three Military Airplanes – C295s – from Airbus, receiving the first C295 in November 2011, the second in April 2012, and the third in November 2015. These deals were argued to align with the 2009-2012 Strategic Plan of the Ghana Armed Forces and were approved by Ghana’s Parliament despite heated disagreements.

Funding for the first two C295s came from a €60,034,636 loan facility from Deutsche Bank S.A.E. Additionally, a €11,750,000 loan from Fidelity Bank Ghana Limited was approved by Parliament for the acquisition of two DA42 MPP Guardian surveillance aircraft for the Ghana Airforce.

The House also approved a total loan sum of $105,370,177.09 from the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) for the purchase of an Embraer E190 jet for the country, covering related spare parts, relevant accessories, and the construction of an aircraft hangar large enough to house three aircraft.

Prior to the Parliamentary approval of the loan agreements, Minority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu criticised the deals as questionable and non-transparent, alleging that the contract sums had been padded by the government.

Read Full Story