Owusu-Bempah petitions OSP over Airbus Scandal

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The Deputy Director of Communications of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Ernest Owusu Bempah, has petitioned the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) over the Airbus Scandal.

In the letter, which has been made available to GhanaWeb, the NPP executive called on the OSP to give the matter urgent attention so as to help Ghanaians put the matter to bed.

He explained that with the admittance from Airbus SE and the OSP’s own indication that it has an interest in the matter, some urgency should be given to it.

“As you are aware Airbus SE has admitted to paying nearly $4 billion to resolve foreign bribery and other charges with authorities in the United States, Britain and France…

“… It’s been over a year and the public is still in the dark as to where you’re with the investigations. Whereas I do not doubt the competence of your office to get to the bottom of this massive international corruption, I respectfully submit and appeal to your good office to take immediate action in helping the people of Ghana to put this matter behind us,” he wrote.

Ernest Owusu Bempah further described the scandal, which has been linked to the former president of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama (rumoured to be Government Official 1), as the biggest corruption scandal ever in Ghana.

“The Airbus corruption is the biggest corruption case ever. Indeed, payment of bribes were made and received, and the biggest beneficiary as alleged was former President John Mahama, codenamed as GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL 1 in the US Court documents,” he added.

Recently, during his address at the opening of the 2023 Ghana Bar Conference at Cape Coast, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo made reference to the Airbus Scandal.

Reacting to the allegation by John Dramani Mahama that he (Akufo-Addo) has packed the judiciary with a lot of politically-affiliated people to the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the president used the Airbus Scandal as his reference point to ‘taint’ his predecessor.

“Not only are these concepts of ‘NPP’ and ‘NDC’ judges new in our public discourse, but they are also extremely dangerous, and represent the most brazen attack on the independence of the judiciary by any allegedly responsible politician of the 4th Republic.

“They provide another reason, if more were needed, why right-thinking citizens should ensure the defeat in 2024 of the man whom the first Special Prosecutor identified as Government Official No.1, in the still unresolved Airbus Bribery Scandal,” he said.

Source:Ghanaweb