You’ve Proven Incompetent, Step Aside – ASEPA To Amidu

Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA) has described Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu as incompetent for not being able to bring the Airbus bribery scandal to its logical conclusion despite several months of investigation.

Mr. Amidu in his corruption risk assessment report on the Agyapa deal gave an update on his investigation on the Airbus scandal and said he is convinced NDC flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama was involved in wrongdoing.

The Special Prosecutor , however, said he is holding on with investigations into Mr. Mahama's alleged involvement in the infamous scandal till after the December 7 general elections.

“This Office has established the identity of elected Government official 1 to be former President John Dramani Mahama whose brother of the full blood is Samuel Adam Foster also known as Samuel Adam Mahama. The only reason the former President has not been invited for interrogation (in spite of all threats from some of his followers and lawyers) is the fact that he got himself insurance as the presidential candidate of the other largest political party in Ghana and prudence dictated that the interrogation be held in abeyance during this election season,” Amidu said in the report.

But the group says Mr. Amidu's failure to investigate Mr. Mahama before the election makes him unfit for the Special Prosecutor role.

Executive Director of ASEPA, Mensah Thompson in an interview with Citi News argued that Amidu cannot use the upcoming general elections as an excuse for not investigating Mahama.

“If Mr. Amidu believes that he has enough evidence to prove that Mr. Mahama is ‘Government official 1’, there is nothing that stops him from investigating and prosecuting him, not even the upcoming elections. The excuses he is giving are irrelevant in this circumstance. He is a prosecutor, that is his responsibility. If he thinks he cannot do the job, he should step aside.”

He said the Special Prosecutor has proven to be unfit for the job.

“This is clearly another sign of incompetence. What Amidu is telling us is that if not for the new Agyapa transaction that brought about the corruption risk assessment, he would not have given us an update on the Airbus scandal. The way and manner he has been conducting himself leave so much to be desired. He has been extremely incompetent. He has proven beyond reasonable doubt that he is not fit for the job,” he added. Airbus Bribery Scandal

On January 31, 2020, Ghana was cited as one of five countries in which the global aerospace group, Airbus SE, allegedly bribed or promised payments to senior officials in exchange for business favours between 2009 and 2015, according to the UK's Serious Fraud Office.

The scandal caused a political storm in Ghana over accusations of Airbus payments to a relative of a government official in connection with the purchase of military planes.

The UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO) stated that the said agent had no aerospace experience, having previously worked in football merchandising and as a facilities manager.

It did not say what the agent, who had been helped by two unnamed British television actors, did with the money.

However, the governing New Patriotic Party, (NPP) alleged that the said government official 1 is former President John Dramani Mahama.

President Akufo-Addo subsequently directed the Special Prosecutor to probe the scandal.

---citinewsroom