The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) is urging the Office of the Special Prosecutor to speedily probe the bribery scandal involving aviation giant, Airbus and a reputed top Ghanaian politician.

“We want the Special Prosecutor to get for us answers as quickly as possible so that we can get closure,” GII Programmes Manager, Mrs Mary Awelana Addah, said on PM Express on JoyNews Tuesday.

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.” It also stated that between 2009 and 2015 an Airbus defence company engaged a close relative of a high-ranking elected Ghanaian Government official as an intermediary or agent in respect of the proposed sale of three military transport aircraft to the Government of Ghana.

Following the revelation, President Akufo-Addo tasked the Office of the Special Prosecutor to conduct an inquiry into the Ghanaian public officials said to have been engaged in the scandal.

However, concerns of a possible conflict of interest have been raised about the Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu.

Mr. Amidu was Attorney-General between January 2011 and January 2012 under the administration of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), led by late President John Evans Atta Mills.

But Mrs. Addah, who heads the local chapter of Transparency International, rather believes the case presents another opportunity for Mr. Amidu to put in his best to ensure “whatever monies that could have been stolen are brought back to the country so that the state benefits.”

According to her, Mr. Amidu, prior to assuming his role as the Special Prosecutor, had distinguished himself as someone who pursued justice “dispassionately without any influence.”

That notwithstanding, the anti-corruption campaigner stated that “If it is clearly marked that he was indeed involved in these processes [then] potential issues of conflict of interest arise and it would be good for him to recuse himself.”

Below is the full discussion on the programme which also featured Communications Director of the governing New Patriotic Party, Yaw Buaben Asamoah as well as the opposition National Democratic Congress’ MP for Builsa North, James Agalga.