General News of Sunday, 9 February 2020

Source: 3news.com

Airbus scandal: Inusah Fuseini makes interesting revelations about UN’s involvement

Inusah Fuseini,  ranking member for Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee Inusah Fuseini, ranking member for Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee

A member of the sixth parliament that approved the purchase of three aircrafts for the Ghana Armed Forces has made interesting revelations about the deal and called on the United Nations to show interest in the scandal.

Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, who has served in parliament for 14 years and still representing the people of Tamale Central says the aircrafts were bought by the United Nations.

“I also know as a matter of fact that the money for the aircrafts was taken as a loan but the loan was to be repaid by the United Nations,” the legislator told Abena Tabi on TV3’s The Key Points, Saturday, February 8, 2019.

The agreement to purchase the aircrafts was approved by parliament on March 25, 2015, said Inusah Fuseini who is a former Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, noting that Ghana took delivery of the third one on December 4, 2015.

The UK Crown Court ruled on January 20, 2020 that the purchase of two of the aircrafts were compromised and therefore fined Airbus €3 billion for flouting OECD rules.

But Inusah Fuseini who was in government when the transaction took placed doubts if any elected government official in Ghana did anything wrong.

He therefore supports the Office of the Special Prosecutor whom Ghana’s president has directed to investigate the scandal to do a thorough job.

“Assuming there was wrongdoing, did any person benefit inappropriately for the wrongdoing, let’s establish that as a matter of fact and three, whether or not the aircrafts that we purchased were secured at value.”

The Member of Parliament is therefore challenging the UN to get involved.

“Even the United Nations should be interested whether paying that money to this country for peacemaking operations was used for the purposes other than it was set for it to be used for.”

Though the Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu was part of the administration that stands accused, Inusah Fuseini trusts him to do a good job.

“Martin Amidu knows what to do in such circumstances,” he averred.

Meanwhile, a member of the governing New Patriotic Party legal team Gary Nimako has also expressed confidence in Martin Amidu.

The lawyer ruled out any conflict of interest as indicated by a section of the public. “I don’t think he has any personal interest…I don’t see any conflict of interest,” he asserted.