Akufo-Addo directs Special Prosecutor to probe Airbus bribery claims

President Akufo-Addo has directed the Special Prosecutor to collaborate with its UK counterparts to probe the Airbus bribery allegations.

According to a statement from the Presidency, President Akufo-Addo wants “necessary legal action taken against any such official, cited in the report as required by Ghanaian law.”

Airbus has confessed to paying bribes in Ghana and other countries between 2011 and 2015 in a corruption investigation of its business deals dating back more than a decade.

Court documents obtained by theghanareport.com show that Europe’s largest plane maker has been fined 3 billion pounds for greasing the palms of public officials and fixers over a string of hidden payments as part of a pattern of worldwide corruption to facilitate the sales of its wares.

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Reacting to the bribery claims, former Attorney General & Minister for Justice, Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong in a statement argued that media reports on the issue did not capture the true reflection of the approved judgment of the case in the UK.

"The reports alleging that Airbus SE paid bribes during the administration of President John Evans Atta Mills and John Dramani Mahama are false, misleading and do not reflect the Approved Judgment. Indeed, the Approved Judgment of the Crown Court of Southwark approving the DPA between Airbus and the UK Serious Fraud Office does not allege that any payment was made by Airbus to any Ghanaian Government official."

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