General News of Tuesday, 10 November 2020

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

How Mahama used his office to guarantee a passport for Samuel Adam Mahama despite false information

Former President John Dramani Mahama Former President John Dramani Mahama

Special Prosecutor (SP) Martin Amidu says former President John Dramani Mahama abused his office when he guaranteed a Ghanaian passport for his brother Samuel Adam Mahama, despite false information in the application process.

Martin Amidu, in a statement issued on Monday, November 9, described the former president who is also the NDC flagbearer as “Government Official One” in the case of the Republic v. Samuel Adam Mahama & Others.

The statement signed by the Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu alleged that John Dramani Mahama together with his elder brother Alfred Abdulai Mahama, who described himself as a Civil Servant, were the first and second guarantors for Samuel Adam Mahama’s Ghanaian passport.

The statement claimed that in the application process for the passport, Samuel Adam Mahama indicated that he attended the University of Ghana from January 6, 1992 to November 4, 1994. This information, according to the SP, was false but the Mahamas overlooked that and guaranteed the application for him.

“The evidence also discloses that John Dramani Mahama described as Former President, of Plot Number 6 North Street Tesano, P. O. Box AN 104, Accra was the first guarantor with Alfred Abdulai Mahama falsely described as a Civil Servant also of Plot No. 6 North Street Tesano, P. O. Box AN 104, Accra as the second guarantor to the application of Samuel Adam Mahama described as PROJECT MANAGER also of Plot Number 6 North Street Tesano, P. O. Box AN 104, Accra for a Ghanaian passport,” Amidu wrote.

“Former President John Dramani Mahama and his elder brother Alfred Abdulai Mahama both knew that Samuel Adam Mahama had not attended the University of Ghana from 6th January 1992 to 4th November 1994 but nonetheless guaranteed the application verifying the statements contained in the application for the Ghanaian passport. These were all done in furtherance of corruption and corruption-related offences,” the SP’s statement added.

Martin Amidu’s statement stated further that on “10th March 2020 the Special Prosecutor wrote a letter with reference number OSP/SCR/2D/29/20 to the Registrar of the University of Ghana for a search on whether Samuel Adam Mahama -DOB 14-12-62 attended the University of Ghana from 6th January, 1992 and exited on 4th January 1994”.

He continued: “In letter with reference number AA.02 dated 22nd May, 2020 the Registrar of the University of Ghana formally conveyed to this Office, inter alia, as follows:

“This comes to inform you that we have conducted a search through our various databases (Main campus list, City Campus list and computer system) but we have not been able to locate the records of any Samuel Adam Mahama with the date of birth provided.”

These revelations by Martin Amidu come after John Dramani Mahama had questioned the inclusion of the Airbus scandal investigations in his findings on corruption and anti-corruption risk assessment on the Agyapa Royalties agreement.

Mahama responded that the inclusion of the Airbus scandal, which was concluded in a non-prosecution agreement, into Martin Amidu’s Corruption Risk Assessment was a clear attempt to offset the potential damage the Agyapa scandal was bringing upon the Akufo-Addo administration.

In the final report on the Agyapa scandal submitted to President Nana Akufo-Addo, Martin Amidu claimed that the NDC flagbearer was the mysterious “Government Official 1” whose “brother is Samuel Adam Mahama” as was cited in the Airbus probe.

But speaking during his campaign tour in Accra on November 3, at the University of Ghana, Legon, former President Mahama responded: “If you [Martin Amidu] were man enough, present Agyapa and do a report on Airbus separately. And I will come as a man and answer you on Airbus. If you think I’m indicted in Airbus, accuse me directly…..But because he is a coward and he knew they were going to discuss Agyapa, he put a paragraph on Airbus to equalise the discussion. I mean what stupidity is this?”