The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has officially cleared former President John Mahama of any involvement in the Airbus SE scandal. The investigation, which began in February 2020, concluded with no evidence of bribery or misconduct on Mahama’s part.
On August 8, 2024, Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng addressed the media, stating that their probe found no proof that John Mahama, or any public official, received bribes from Airbus SE. He clarified that there was also no indication that Samuel Adam Foster (Samuel Adam Mahama), Philip Shun Middlemerth, or Lean Sarah Davies acted as intermediaries for bribery.
The investigation confirmed that these individuals did not receive any payments from Airbus intended to influence Mahama or any other officials. Additionally, there was no evidence suggesting that bribes were exchanged in relation to the purchase of military transport aircraft from Airbus.
The OSP has published its investigation report into alleged bribery of Ghanaian officials by Airbus SE.
Read full report by clicking on this link; https://t.co/GTjeGuIIkW pic.twitter.com/8aCMWU3eGc
— Office of the Special Prosecutor-Ghana (@ospghana) August 8, 2024
Ghana’s acquisition of three C295 military aircraft from Airbus occurred between 2011 and 2015. These purchases, which were part of the Ghana Armed Forces’ Strategic Plan from 2009-2012, were approved by Parliament after considerable debate. The funding for the first two C295s was sourced from a €60,034,636 loan from Deutsche Bank S.A.E., with an additional €11,750,000 loan from Fidelity Bank Ghana Limited for DA42 MPP Guardian surveillance aircraft.
Additionally, Parliament approved a $105,370,177.09 loan from the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) for the purchase of an Embraer E190 jet, including spare parts, accessories, and the construction of an aircraft hangar.
