Airbus Protest: Police, Fixing The Country Movement Form Consensus

The Accra Regional Police Command and leadership of the pressure group, Fixing The Country Movement, have arrived at a consensus over the latter’s planned protest.

It comes after disagreements over the date for the demonstration.

The protest which will be two-fold will see the Office of the Special Prosecutor and former President John Dramani Mahama both petitioned by the group over the infamous Airbus Scandal.

In a letter to the convenor of the group, Ernest Owusu-Bempah, the police said the protest would be held on November 16, 2023.

The group will convene at the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park and move to the Office of the Special Prosecutor to present a petition to him.

From there, they will proceed to the Office of the former President to present their petition.

“You will converge at the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park and proceed to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) where a petition shall be presented. You will then move along the route through the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GU) to the Fire Service Headquarters Traffic Intersection, to Aliu Mahama Junction, Cantonments Post Office and proceed to the Office of the Former President H.E. John Dramani Mahama where a second petition will be presented,” a part of the letter said.

In a letter to Mr Mahama earlier this week, the group said it has “every reason” to believe that Mahama was involved in the Airbus bribery saga.

The group therefore urged him to avail himself for investigations.

“We are also fortified by the knowledge that as a former president, and someone running for office again, you will avail yourself soon to clear the air on the Airbus corruption.”

With the OSP, the group wants an investigation opened into the case.

“Whereas we do not doubt the competence of our investigative authorities to get to the bottom of this massive international corruption, we’re not enthused at the nonchalant attitude being deployed on the Airbus corruption – Hence, our petition to the OSP.”

Bloodshed
Meanwhile, the youth wing of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has threatened bloodshed should the group- which is affiliated with the New Patriotic Party (NPP)- picket at the Office of Mr Mahama.

In a statement, Amorse Blessing Amos, the Greater Accra Regional Youth Organizer of the NDC said, “In the event Owusu Bempah and his group remain nonchalant and attempt anything close to what they have announced, they should pay for their coffins and graves before they come.”

He added, “This statement goes as a warning or whatever they may want to call it, to Owusu Bempah and whoever he may be planning this with, that they should not dare come closer to Excellency John Dramani Mahama’s office. If he and his lapdogs are men, they should make any silly attempt around that office.”

Airbus Saga
UK court in 2020 fined Airbus SE, a subsidiary of Airbus, an amount of £3 billion for bribing its way to lucrative contracts in countries such as Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Indonesia and Ghana.

Investigations by the United States Department of Justice (DoG) found that the dubious act played out in Ghana’s purchase of three Military Airplanes – C295s – from Airbus between 2009 and 2015.

It was found that Airbus hired the brother of a top elected Ghanaian official as its consultant to manoeuvre its way into selling the aircraft to the country.

The firm also confessed to paying the said consultant through a third party when its Compliance Unit spotted the close relationship between the consultant and the top elected official, who was a key decision-maker in the purchase of the military aircraft.

“In fact, Airbus and its vendors had paid, offered or agreed to pay political contributions, fees or commissions in connection with these sales in the amount of at least €3,596,523. Individual 1 was influential in having the government of Ghana approve aircraft purchases and Individual 1 contacted Airbus senior executives during the government approval process. In 2011, during Individual 1’s time in office, the Ghanaian Parliament approved the purchase of C-295 aircraft,” the facts, as presented by the DOJ to the District Court in the USA, said according to Graphic.

“Airbus purposefully sought to engage Consultant 4 due to his closeness to Individual 1, and the Airbus management included Consultant 4 in its communications with Individual 1. Airbus used Consultant 4 as a conduit for messages intended for Individual 1. Consultant 4 traded on his access to Individual 1,” the DOJ said.