The main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), has refuted any wrongdoing in the Airbus SE bribery scandal by a Crown Court at Southwark in the United Kingdom (UK), saying the government officials at the time, followed the procurement laws and received the necessary legal opinion of the then Attorney General, Martin A.B.K Amidu.
According to the party, there is nowhere in the judgment, indicating that the transactions, as well as the processes preceding the purchase of the aircraft, offended any law whatsoever.
Interestingly, the former AG, under whose watch the aircraft was purchased, is now the Special Prosecutor (SP), the one that has been tasked by President Akufo-Addo, to investigate the bribery allegation, leading to the Executive Secretary of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulamana Braimah, citing a clear case of conflict of interest.
“Third, there is no finding in any of the approved judgments that the transactions and the processes leading to same, violated any law. In fact, the first transaction under which success-based commission was paid by Airbus to their intermediaries, adhered to the Public Procurement law and received the legal opinion of the then-Attorney General [Martin ABK Amidu], before it was finally approved by the August House of Parliament.
Additionally, there is no finding in any of the approved judgments, that the government of Ghana or any government official, engaged the services of or paid any monies to any intermediary relative to the said transactions.
Therefore, any infractions arising from the engagement and payment of intermediaries by Airbus SE, are entirely its business”, the Communication Officer of the party, Sammy Gyamfi, said during a press conference yesterday in Accra.
Source: theheraldghana.com