Former President Mahama has reiterated the incidence behind the purchase of the two scandalous Airbus aircraft.
The president explained that, a group of proficient team of military men were involved in the purchase of the Airbus aircraft and that, there was no imposition or duress on anyone whatsoever.
“Some of our gallant and highly efficient officers who composed the technical team are still in active service in the military and I reject any idea that they have arrived at their decisions through inducement or coercion by any person,” he said.
UK Ruling
On February 1, the UK’S Royal Courts of Justice found Dutch firm Airbus SE guilty of paying bribes to some countries such as Ghana, Colombia, South Korea, Mexico, and Malaysia in questionable deals.
Mr. Samuel Mahama, a brother of the former president were involved in the scandal as he was part of the government officials to negotiate for the deal in 2011 and 2015.
For Ghana, the scandal involved government officials in 2011 and 2015 who negotiated for the deal with Airbus agents including Samuel Mahama believed to be a brother of former President John Mahama.
“Between 2009 and 2015 an Airbus defence company engaged Intermediary 5, a close relative of a high ranking elected Ghanaian Government official (Government Official 1) as its BP in respect of the proposed sale of three military transport aircraft to the Government of Ghana,” the ruling on Ghana’s deal read in part.
“A number of Airbus employees knew that Intermediary 5 was a close relative of Government Official 1, who was a key decision maker in respect of the proposed sales. A number of Airbus employees made or promised success-based commission payments of approximately €5 million to Intermediary 5.”
Mr. Mahama said the responsibility behind the acquisition of the Airbus was assigned to him by the late former president Prof. John Atta- Mills. He further expounded that, prior to the purchase of the aircraft, Ghana’s security services required renewing and therefore as the then vice president between 7Th January, 2009 and 24th July, 2012, the late president Mills assigned him that role.
Mr. Mahama disclosed this in an interview to Daily Graphic.
“The Police Service had an ageing fleet of Peugeot and Mahindra vehicles, the Ghana Navy had no vessel with which to patrol our coastal waters, the Ghana Air Force had only one functional 37-year-old F27 aircraft, which was still flying, only because of the ingenuity of our aeronautical engineers,” he said. …the Infantry Brigade of the Ghana Army relied on old Dongfeng trucks and a fleet of smoking pick-up vehicles, the Prisons Service, the Ghana Immigration Service, and the National Security Council Secretariat were virtually immobile due to lack of equipment.”
“All the processes and negotiations by the government in the acquisition of the aircraft were conducted directly with Airbus and my administration without any untoward influence either directly or indirectly through any agents it may have appointed. Indeed, nowhere in the available UK Court Documents has it been said that Airbus paid any public or government official on the side for the purchase of the aircraft,” he stated.”
Source: Ghanafeed
