Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has expressed strong dissatisfaction with handling the Airbus bribery scandal, attributing the investigation’s initiation to the scandal’s severity.
Kpebu suggested that the late President John Evans Atta Mills’ establishment of a committee to investigate his then Vice President, John Dramani Mahama, directly responded to the scandal’s gravity.
Kpebu indicated his readiness to lead protests against the government if Mahama is elected and similar corrupt practices persist. He stated, “I don’t want to accept that nothing happened.
I can never support the notion that nothing was done. Even if it means leading demonstrations, I am prepared to do so.”
The Director of Legal Affairs for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Godwin Edudzi Tameklo, countered Kpebu’s claims, asserting that the Special Prosecutor’s Office (OSP) found no evidence of Mahama’s wrongdoing.
He urged Mahama’s transparency during investigations to be recognized and warned against raising allegations of witch-hunting should President Nana Akufo-Addo and other officials face similar scrutiny.
The OSP recently confirmed that Mahama was identified as “Government Official One” in the Airbus case by both UK and US courts.
This designation arose from investigating Airbus SE’s alleged bribery practices involving Ghanaian officials.
The Airbus scandal involves allegations that the company used corrupt practices to secure contracts for military aircraft with Ghana.
The UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) found that Airbus paid bribes to intermediaries between 2011 and 2015 to facilitate the sale of three C295 aircraft to Ghana.
The scandal, which includes a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) between the SFO and Airbus, does not preclude future legal actions against individuals involved in the bribery.
The DPA, approved by the Crown Court in Southwark, allows Airbus to avoid immediate prosecution but requires compliance with certain conditions.
The court’s decision balances enforcing legal standards and considering the broader economic impact of prosecuting the company.
The case has highlighted corruption within the procurement process for Ghana’s military equipment and remains a point of contention in Ghanaian politics.
