Special Prosecutor Martin Alamisi Amidu has identified the mysterious individual named in the £5 million Airbus scandal only as Goverment Official 1.

He said in his Office’s investigations of the scandal that, he found the former president is related in “full-blood” to Samuel Adam Forster Mahama who played a role in the Airbus bribery scandal.

The International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) has issued a Red Notice for the British-based man also known as Samuel Adam Mahama for allegedly accepting bribe to influence a public officer.

Mr Adam Mahama also acted in collaboration with a public officer for the public officer’s private gain in the purchase of the aircraft for the army.

Airbus scandal

Ghana is one of five countries in which the European aviation giant, 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 £5 billion on the company.

In court documents and hearings, Airbus admitted five counts of failing to prevent bribery, using a network of secret agents to pay large-scale backhanders to officials in foreign countries, including Ghana, to land high-value contracts.

According to the report, there are six key actors involved in the scandal regarding Ghana.

Investigators from the UK’s SFO identified them only as Government Official 1 (high ranking and elected), Intermediary 5 (British national and close relative of Government Official 1), Company D (corporate vehicle for Intermediary 5 – shareholder), Intermediary 6 (British national and associate of Intermediary 5), Intermediary 7 (British national and associate of Intermediary 5), as well as Intermediary 8 (Spanish company and front for Intermediary 5).

Other British citizens; Philip Sean Middlemiss; Sarah Davis and Sarah Furneaux are connected to the case for their roles in the scandal.

Who is Government Official 1?

In February this year, president Akufo-Addo tasked the Special Prosecutor to get to the bottom of the issue when news about the scandal broke.

As part of his work, Mr Amidu is seeking the help of the Foreign Ministry to facilitate getting Mr Adam Mahama in Ghana on a flight evacuating stranded Ghanaians in the UK.

Explaining the reasons for the undertaking, Mr Martin Amidu stated, "amongst other reasons for the letter to the said Ministry, the Samuel Adam Mahama's elder brother of full blood who without a doubt and the evidence available to this Office answers to the description of the elected Government Official 1 allegedly granted a denial interview to the Daily Graphic which published same on June 20, 2020, fortunately containing suspected admissions that he is the elected Government Official 1 referred to in the UK judgement.

"Serving appointees of this government have been unable to obtain the voice recording of this interview to enable the Office to confront the former president with his own admissions in the interview as answering to the description to the brother of Samuel Adam Mahama as Intermediary 5."

The Special Prosecutor said this information notwithstanding, his Office and his person has been attacked.

Mr Amidu said he is continuously being "attacked "as bitter old man" settling scores with Samuel Adam Mahama and his accomplices who the Special Prosecutor does not know and has never met."

The Special Prosecutor said in his letter to the Foreign Ministry also explained the importance of depoliticising the issue thereby asking the Ghana High Commissioner to the UK to "urgently facilitate the voluntary evacuation of Samuel Adam Mahama to Ghana."