Minority Spokesperson on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Inusah Fuseini, says the Special Prosecutor’s invitation to some UK citizens on the Airbus Scandal is “noise” which will amount to nothing.
This follows the Office of the Special Prosecutor’s (OSP) completion of preliminary investigations into the Airbus bribery scandal.
Four persons have been invited by the OSP to answer questions relating to their roles in an alleged act and other offences in the government’s acquisition of three aircraft from Airbus.
A UK/Ghanaian citizen Samuel Adam Foster alias Samuel Adam Mahama, who is said to be related to former president John Mahama as well as three other British citizens; Philip Sean Middlemiss; Sarah Davis and Sarah Furneaux, have been invited to assist in the investigations.
But according to Inusah Fuseini, the OSP, Martin Amidu, lacks the jurisdiction to execute the prosecution.
“Those persons so invited are presently British citizens. They are not within the jurisdiction of this country. In fact, it is debatable even to conclude that the alleged offence was committed in Ghana. Criminal jurisdiction is territorial in nature.
“So it beats my imagination how Martin Amidu can purport to extend his hand of invitation to persons living outside the boundaries or territorial area of Ghana,” Mr Fuseini said.
Mr Fuseini says the OSP has not invoked the necessary institutional legal mechanisms that will help investigators to compel the said witnesses to be present.
The Tamale Central Member of Parliament also opined that the investigation will amount to nothing as the invitees are not under any civil obligation to cooperate.
“It is brutum fulmen. It is just noise without anything. Just tell me how Martin Amidu can get the four people into the country… Adam Mahama is in the UK now. Are they going to do what the Israelis did… to arrest him, douse him with chemicals, put him in a box and smuggle him into Ghana?”
Speaking with JoyNews’ Joseph Opoku Gakpo, Inussah Fuseini also accused Martin Amidu of betraying his intentions in the notice served the witnesses adding that, it is embroiled in underpinnings of prejudice.
“You are investigating the offence of bribery by Airbus in the purchase of Casa 295s in Ghana. You are inviting four people to assist you in investigations. In the second paragraph of your investigation, you are describing these four people as suspects. It comes to a prima face conclusion that they have been engaged in some form of wrong.”
He said Martin Amidu is acting wrongly in the way he is managing the office, calling for a change of approach into the investigation.
“I expect that he employs efficiencies and effectiveness,” he said.
The MP also believes that the “personal idiosyncrasies of Martin Amidu are standing in his way of doing proper work as a Special Prosecutor.”
“He should not be involved emotionally in discharging the mandate of his office,” Inusah Fuseini added.
Airbus bribery scandal
On January 31, 2020, Ghana was named as one of five countries which the plane maker, Airbus, paid or attempted to pay millions of dollars in bribes in exchange for contracts, leading a court in Britain to slap a fine of £3 billion on the company.
The document also alleged that contrary to section 7 of the UK’s Bribery Act 2010, Airbus failed to prevent persons associated with it from “bribing others concerned with the purchase of military transport aircraft by the Government of Ghana, where the said bribery was intended to obtain or retain business or advantage in the conduct of business.”
Subsequently, President Akufo-Addo referred the matter to the OSP to investigate it.
A public notice by the OSP on March 31 in the Daily Graphic said the individuals identified by an acronym in the Statement of Facts and accepted as findings of fact in a judgement of the UK Crown Court are to assist in the investigation of corruption and corruption-related offences in the purchase of the Aircraft.
Source: Myjoyonline
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