The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has made public the identity of “Government Official One” in the Airbus scandal.
At a news conference in Accra, Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng confirmed that the individual referred to as “Government Official One” in UK and US court documents is former President John Dramani Mahama.
He clarified that Mr Mahama, who served as Vice President of Ghana from January 7, 2009, to July 24, 2012, and as President from July 24, 2012, to January 7, 2017, was identified in connection with the investigations into the sale of Airbus military aircraft to Ghana.
These investigations corresponded with John Mahama’s terms in office, during which the UK and US probed Airbus’s campaigns to sell three C295 aircraft to Ghana.
Additionally, the OSP disclosed that the label “Consultant 4” in the scandal referred to Mr Mahama’s brother, Samuel Adam Mahama.
Despite these identifications, the investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing against both John Dramani Mahama and his brother, clearing them of any misconduct.
The Airbus scandal involved allegations that the European aerospace giant had paid bribes to facilitate the sale of military aircraft to Ghana. Airbus admitted to employing the brother of a high-ranking Ghanaian official as a consultant and paying him through a third party after its Compliance Unit flagged concerns about his close relationship with the top official, who played a crucial role in the aircraft purchase decision.
Former Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu had previously implicated John Dramani Mahama, suggesting he was the “Government Official One” mentioned in the scandal.
