I am getting the impression that scandal-soaked former President John Dramani Mahama knows no shame. Responding to reports that he has been clearly identified as ‘Government Official One’ in the scandalous Airbus Scandal in the United States, United Kingdom and France, Mr. Mahama responded thus:
“No allegations of wrong-doing has been proven against me, including the baseless Airbus brouhaha that the government attempted to clothe me with.”
The National Democratic Congress flagbearer was speaking at a lecture organised in Kumasi to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the passing away of Mr. Paul Victor Obeng, the de facto Prime Minister of this nation, under the Provisional National Defence Council.
It is a fact that,the spineless Office of the Special Prosecutor, sitting in Accra, claims to have found no evidence of bribery linked to the come-back kid. But a huge volume of muddy water continues to pass under the bridge, in the name of the former President.
The identification that John Dramani Mahama is indeed ‘Government Official One’ in the scandal that shamed Ghana in the Southwark Crown Court in South London and in the United States and France, means that Mr. Mahamais wearing a cassock of filth.
Somewhere in 2011-2012, the state of Ghana bought three aircrafts from Airbus, the giant European aircraft manufacturers. We all went to sleep happily, knowing that the nation had successfully equipped the Ghana Air Force with three extra transport planes.
Then ugly noises began emerging from the United States,Britain and France. Apparently, it is the habit of Airbus to bribe intermediaries to secure huge contracts from mainly third world countries. Ittook four to five years of painful investigation by the Serious Fraud Office of Britain and top class investigators in the USA and France,to unearth the sordid deed.
When the lid was unzipped, Airbus pleaded guilty of underhand dealings in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Taiwan and Ghana, round about the same time, and negotiated to pay US$3.9 billion in fines in lieu of prosecution. The $3.9 billion is said to be the highest of such fines in aviation industry.
“Airbus was found guilty of failure to prevent its employees and others associated with the company, from bribing officials during deals for the purchase of its aircraft and other products and also for breaking US export regulations with regard to its International Trade in Arms Regulations (ITAR),” according to documents of indictment.
Official documents in the USA, France and especially, the UK’s Serious Fraud Office, slammed Airbus for using different tactics to bribe officials in many countries, including Ghana, in order to secure lucrative contracts.
“In the case of Ghana, Airbus allegedly paid more than three million Euros through a third party. According to facts available, a high-ranking elected official, which the document mentioned as ‘Government Official 1-who was said to be in office from 2009-2016 made direct contact with the Airbus management about the purchase of the aircraft, few months after he took office.
“Airbus purposefully sought to engage Consultant 4, DUE TO HIS CLOSENESS TO GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL 1”(caps mine), the facts added.
Let it be known that Consultant 4(Sam Mahama) refers to the biological brother of Government Official One, who has been clearly unmasked as scandal-soaked John Dramani Mahama.
Whether or not Airbus paid ex-President Mahama bribe is not what was under investigation in Ghana. What is of importance to the average Ghanaian is whether or not Mr. Mahama is the Government Official One. Now that it has been established beyond doubt that Mr. Mahama is indeed, the Government Official One, we need to establish whether Sam Mahama knew about the deal through his brother (John Mahama), before embarking to Ghana to negotiate with the Vice, or Head of State, to buy three aircrafts for Ghana.
It is a fact that Mr. Samuel Forster Mahama journeyed with an actor friend and a girlfriend to Ghana, after his brother had assumed office as Vice President of Ghana, and contacted Airbus on the need for aircrafts for Ghana.
Information available to the British Press was that the actor was missing in British official circles for a while. He then surfaced at a horse-riding event in Manchester. When asked about his where about those days, he answered that a brother of a friend had come to power in Ghana. And that the friend, he himself and his girlfriend had relocated to West Africa, fixing a few things.
He was obviously referring to the negotiations between the State of Ghana and their role as so-called agents of Airbus.At that point in time, the intermediaries had no idea about the manufacturing of aircraft. They knew next to nothing about the operations of an aircraft too.
What took place was akin to John Dramani Mahama, Head of State of the Republic of Ghana negotiating with his own brother to buy three aircrafts for the Republic of Ghana.
What is clear is that, for SamForster Mahama’s ability to negotiate the deal with his own biological brother, who was the President, Airbus paid Forster and his two accomplices, a cool three million Euros under the counter.
The office of the Special Prosecutor in Ghana is arguing that there is no evidence that Mr. Mahama, who is clearly Government Official One, might have been bribed under the deal. I will like to submit that this is bunkum. How would the OSP know whether or not Mr. Sam Mahama, after collecting his blood money, contributed to his brother’s campaign fund in 2016?
Does the OSP expect Mr. Mahama to come to the office on his knees, declaring that his brother had donated to his campaign fund after collecting his booty?
Oh Ye, OSP of average mind… Not even a fool will ever so hung himself.
If you ask me why I label the come-back kid as scandal-soaked ex-Head of State, I will begin my explanation from when Mr. Mahama was sworn in as Vice-President of Ghana in January 2009.
Among his first international duties was to lead a delegation to Brazil to negotiate for Embraer transport aircraft for the Ghana Armed Forces. When the aircraft was delivered, the cost was way over the advertised rate.
The official explanation was that the manufacturers had added many entertainment programmes, including play store, and that these additions had bloated the original cost. Many reports indicated that the issue became such an embarrassment to former Head of State, Prof. John Evens Atta-Mills, that he ordered a probe, under which his Vice-President was to be a subject of investigation.
Unfortunately, Prof, Mills visited his ancestors before the inquiry could be commissioned.This scandal was closely followed by an episode involving a certain Burkinabe contractor, who had erected a wall around the Ghana Embassy in Ouagadougou, at a cost many people in Ghana complained about as way over the top.
As many Ghanaians complained, it emerged that Mr. Mahama, as Head of State of this Republic, had accepted a gift of a Ford Exhibition car from the same contractor, and that a huge chunk of the Eastern corridor road had been allocated to the contact or, on the word of the sitting president.
As people complained, the Office of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ)issued a statement claiming to have exonerated the President. The reason?Mahama was said not to like Ford Exhibition vehicles and had put it to state use at the Flagstaff House fleet.
Who said you are exonerated when you accept bribe and turn it over to someone else. I believe either Mahama does not understand what constitute bribery or that he knows we have very weak institutions that would always exonerate him.
This man has a huge credibility problem. That is why I am not buying a second hand car from JOHN, the scandal soaked MAHAMA.
I shall return!
Ebo Quansah in Accra
