Airbus-Ghana deal found its way into UK and US DPAs due to the involvement of Mahama and his brother – OSP

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has revealed reasons why the Airbus-Ghana deal found its way into Deferred Prosecution Agreements (DPAs) in the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

After investigating the Airbus scandal, the OSP has indicated that the deal with Ghana that was marred by corruption allegations found its way into the UK and US DPAs because of the involvement of former President John Dramani Mahama and his blood brother, Samuel Adam Foster.

“Indeed, it seems to the OSP that the only reasons why the Airbus-Ghana deal found its way into the UK and US DPAs were the fact that former President Mahama and Samuel Adam Foster were brothers of the full blood; and that former President Mahama directly participated in commercial communications and meetings with Airbus officials,” Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng said in a press briefing at the Office of the Special Prosecutor on Thursday, August 8.

The Special Prosecutor further explained, “This is because – without seeking to critique the UK and US DPAs – the OSP found no evidence, circumstantial or direct, which suggests that Foster and his associates were actually paid bribes and which bribes were to be transmitted to former President Mahama and that the bribes were actually paid to former President Mahama.”

The Special Prosecutor said, to all intents and purposes and objectively viewed, an agency relationship existed between Airbus and Foster and his associates by which Foster and his associates acted as business partners of Airbus in respect of the Airbus-Ghana deal, and under which Foster and his associates were to be remunerated success-based commission payments.

He said this was a typical arrangement instituted by Airbus, by which it contracted third parties as business partners to increase its international footprint and to assist it in winning sales contracts in numerous jurisdictions.

“On this basis, when Airbus made a successful sale of aircraft, it would ordinarily pay a business partner a commission-based percentage value of the sale, or a fixed amount of the aircraft,” Kissi Agyebeng explained.

Meanwhile, former President John Dramani Mahama who has been confirmed as Government Official One in the Airbus Scandal has been cleared of all corruption allegations.