Ghanaian authorities have been urged by the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party to reopen investigations into how the nation acquired three military aircraft between 2009 and 2015.
According to Mr. Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, the little investigation he has conducted points to the fact that former President Mahama used his office to influence
Airbus, is alleged to have paid bribes in Ghana when it sold the three military aircraft.
The aerospace multinational admitted hiring the brother of a top elected Ghanaian official as its consultant for the pitch to sell the aircraft to the country.
Also, Airbus confessed paying the said consultant through a third party when its Compliance Unit raised red flags about the close relationship between the consultant and the top elected official, who was a key decision maker in the purchase of the military aircraft.
It is for this reason that the NPP Chairman who owns Wontumi media stated in an interview with Wontumionline.com that “I am still amazed John Mahama hasn’t commented on the role he played in the Airbus scandal”.
He added that “Mahama must be jailed and made to face the law accordingly. He has duped the nation and must be forced to pay back the money alongside serving 10 years in prison”.
Mr. Boasiako’s comment comes on the back of a decision by the Jakarta Corruption Court to sentence a former President to prison.
Jakarta Sentences Former President
The Jakarta Corruption Court has sentenced the former president of Garuda Indonesia Emirsyah Satar to eight years in prison after finding him guilty accepting Rp 49.3 billion (US$3.4 million) in bribes and money laundering to the amount of Rp 87.5 billion related to aircraft procurement.
The sentence was smaller than what KPK prosecutors sought. They advocated for 12 years of imprisonment and a fine of Rp 10 billion based on Emirsyah having received bribes from British engineering company Rolls-Royce in connection with the procurement of aircraft parts and from European aviation giant Airbus in connection with aircraft procurement,
