A group identified as 'Fixing The Country Movement' has given the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) a 14-day ultimatum to re-open investigation into the Airbus scandal.

The demand comes days after former President John Dramani Mahama, his brother Samuel Adam Mahama and two others were cleared by the OSP of any wrongdoing after 4 years of investigation.

According to the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, there was no evidence to suggest bribery or corruption, hence his decision to close the case.

• Read also: Airbus scandal: OSP has done a good job; deserves commendation – Domelevo insists

But speaking at a press conference in Accra, Convener of 'Fixing The Country Movement', Ernest Owusu Bempah said the OSP’s conclusion is unacceptable.

According o him, other agencies must pick up investigation into the bribery scandal.

“The entire OSP investigation is worse than a whitewash. The whole OSP could have done a better job with the powers and resources available to them to fight corruption in this country.

“The Ghanaian public deserves better. We need an independent scientific evaluation to challenge the simplification of the OSP’s judgment. We call on the British High Commission and the US Embassy to take an active interest in this matter,” he said.

He further announced a decision by the group to demonstrate should the OSP fail to re-investigate the matter in 14 days.

• Read also: Airbus bribery scandal: John Mahama is ‘Government Official 1’ but… – OSP

“The group will organize series of manifestation to demand accountability and also demand for the head of the OSP, Ghana deserves better and let’s say no to corruption.”

Background

On January 31, 2020, Ghana was named as one of five countries where Airbus SE, a global aerospace corporation, allegedly engaged in bribery or offered payments to high-ranking officials in exchange for business favours between 2009 and 2015.

This was revealed by the UK's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and led to Airbus agreeing to a record £3 billion settlement with France, the United Kingdom, and the United States to avoid corporate criminal charges.

In response to the scandal, President Akufo-Addo referred the matter to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) for investigation.

• Read also: OSP found no evidence of corruption against Mahama in Airbus bribery scandal

Martin Amidu, the-then Special Prosecutor, identified former President John Dramani Mahama as the official referred to as 'Government Official 1' in the UK SFO's report.

This claim was echoed by the New Patriotic Party (NPP), but the NDC denied the allegations since no conclusive evidence was found to implicate him.

Recently, however, the OSP has confirmed that former President Mahama is indeed the individual designated as Government Official 1 (GO1) in the Airbus scandal.

Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Thursday, August 8, the current Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, also identified Samuel Mahama, the former president's brother, as Intermediary 5 in the scandal.

During the briefing, the OSP provided a summary of its investigations, confirming that while Mr Mahama was identified as GO1 in the UK court documents and as Individual 1 in the US, there was no evidence that he played any role in the corruption scandal that trailed the acquisition.