The Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party who double as the Member of Parliament for Adentan constituency, Lawyer Buaben Asamoa has revealed that, the Former President Mahama referred to as GOI in the Airbus saga is based on mere inference and not on official tag.
According to the law maker, the Crown court proceedings did not have Mr. Mahama’s name mentioned officially or have any charges levelled against him. But he is assumed to be Government Official 1 because he was the President of the land at the time of the bribery incident.
The Hon. Buaben Asamoa was reacting to the recent Press conference organized by the NDC on the alleged ploy by the EC and NIA to rig the 2020 general elections in favour of the NPP on the Citizen Show on Accra based radio station, Accra Fm hosted by Kwabena Bobie Ansah
“The NDC should stop involving the NPP in their tussle with EC and NIA. Ghanaians have rejected Mr. Mahama at the last election based on his incompetence, they know he’s incapable of manning the country. Even in opposition, he’s proven to be worst and very soon, the GO1 issue in relation to the Airbus saga will catch up with him” – he has said
He furthered that, the wish of the NDC can’t be granted by the Electoral Commission if it will be to the detriment of all Ghanaians. “The NDC is afraid of the 2020 election as they expect to lose massively. Hence, all their efforts to stop the EC from performing it’s mandate. If the NDC continue to insist on avoiding crowds, are they going to boycott the general elections should COVID-19 persist till December 2020? – he queried
The leader of the NDC in the December polls is pinned to play a major role in the Airbus saga under the Mills-Mahama governments of 2009-2016 involving European aviation giant, Airbus
Background Story
Airbus, Europe’s largest airplane manufacturer, admitted to paying bribes in Ghana and other countries between 2011 and 2015 in a sweeping investigation dating back to almost decade. The company has been fined 3 billion pounds for bribing public officials and fixers over a string of hidden payments as part of a pattern of worldwide corruption to facilitate the sales of its wares.
The report follows the outcome of UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigation that “Allison Clare, for the SFO, told the court the company had paid bribes in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Taiwan and Ghana between 2011 and 2015.”
Airbus is accused of hiring and disguising payments to a close relative of a government officials in Ghana with no aerospace experience in connection with a sale of military transport planes, the SFO said.
According to the court document between 2009 and 2015 an Airbus defence company engaged an unnamed person, only identified as Intermediary 5, a close relative of a high ranking elected Ghana government official (also not named but referred to as Government Official 1), as its business partner in respect of the proposed sale of three aircraft to the government of Ghana.
“A number of Airbus employees knew that Intermediary five was a close relative of Government Official 1, a key decision-maker in respect of the sales.
