Ghanaians on social media have taken former president John Mahama to the cleaners after Europe’s largest aerospace multinational, Airbus admitted that it paid huge bribes in order to secure contracts in a number of countries, Ghana, included under the erstwhile Mills-Mahama administration.
The multinational company was fined £3 billion as penalties after a High Court in London found them guilty in what has been described by anti-corruption investigators as the largest ever corporate fine for bribery in the world.
According to The Guardian Report, Airbus was found guilty on the grounds of paying bribes in “Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Taiwan and Ghana between 2011 and 2015.”
With regards to Ghana, the report further stated that Airbus “between 2009 and 2015 engaged intermediary 5, a close relative of a high-ranking elected Ghanaian government official (Government Official 1), as its BP in respect of the proposed sale of three aircraft to the government of Ghana. A number of Airbus employees knew that intermediary 5 was a close relative of Government Official 1, a key decision maker in respect of the sales.
A number of Airbus employees made or promised success-based commission payments of approximately £5 million to the intermediary. False documentation was created by or with the agreement of Airbus employees in order to support and disguise these payments. The payments were intended to induce or reward improper favour by the Government Official 1 towards Airbus,” parts of the prosecution case relating to Ghana read.
The global issue has become a major talking point in the West African country with many descending on the erstwhile administration as being the main beneficiaries of the corrupt act.
Some discerning social media users have started tracing dots on how the late President John Atta-Mills appointed a committee to investigate the processes of the acquisition of five aircrafts under his administration. However, after Atta-Mills died the commission was not made public.
A few others have also translated the ‘elected Ghanaian government official’ named in the report as the former president whiles others try to decode who ‘intermediary 5’ could be. Intermediary 5, according to the court document, is a UK national born in Ghana.
Another twitter user also dug out the former President’s interview where he was asked if ever took bribe.
With a barely 10-months to the general elections many wonder if the NDC’s flagbearer will be able to lead the party to victory by overcoming several corrupt acts linked to him.
Read some of the tweets below
3-Member Committee the late Atta-Mills established to investigate John Mahama on the Processes of the Acquisition of Five(5) Aircrafts including Embraer 190 Aircraft and hanger for the Ghana Armed Forces -GAF;
— Nana Ansah Obofour (@NanaAnsah20) February 2, 2020
•Mr. William Aboah
•Mr. George Amoah
•Brig. Gen. Allotey (Rtd) pic.twitter.com/jZSsUDdTuZ
In a serious country Mahama would've been impeached over that Ford Expedition "gift/bribe" given by that Burkinabe contractor Djibril Kanazoe. JM's defense was that "I am not a fan of Ford. I like Toyota". Imagine this. Was he insinuating he could've been influenced wit a Toyota?
— Old Dog (@Otumfour_233) February 2, 2020
Is John Mahama coming to power this year??
— ???????????????? ???????????????????? ???????????????????? ????????????????? (@realKojoToronto) February 2, 2020
Me : ????????????????pic.twitter.com/FEjqE11f8f
Interviewer; Prez. Mahama have you taken a bribe before?
— Old Dog (@Otumfour_233) February 2, 2020
John Mahama; pic.twitter.com/F8UJxxghET
John Mahama is just an internationally acclaimed corrupt king..... pic.twitter.com/IvHQJD2Lne
— Nana Ansah Obofour (@NanaAnsah20) February 2, 2020
Mahama really do yawa. The timing this information come too is not good at all. Election year paaa.
— Bezalel is my mentor (@naasedi) February 2, 2020
There is literally nothing anyone can do to whitewash Mahama of the bad name he has gained in politics as a corrupt president... because he is. Don’t even waste your time trying, brethren.
— Yeshuwa. (@bybentil) February 2, 2020
Mahama proper statesman should not be contesting after been a vice and prez for 8 years. I hope this bribery scandal doesnt destroy his reputation.
— ScrappyCoco???????? (@kwacy15) February 2, 2020
Just so we are clear, the Airbus bribery took place within the Mills/Mahama era. In fact, it was finalized during @JDMahama’s tenure as president. We await his statement telling us which people on his team handled this deal (and who took $5 million.)
— Nana Ama Agyemang Asante (@JustNanaAma) February 2, 2020
I took a 207 bus from Kumasi to Accra to vote this man out and I have never regretted. https://t.co/mVZubugFIb
— LÁZARATÔ (@poundsborga) February 2, 2020
In Ghana, the only "high ranking ELECTED government official" is the President. Do we still need rocket science to decode and find out that "Government Official 1" is John Mahama? Connect the dots. I have a fair idea who "intermediary 5" may be. Name withheld for now. pic.twitter.com/KzU7OtL4SQ
— Old Dog (@Otumfour_233) February 2, 2020
