Airbus scandal: We'll picket at Mahama's office on October 12 - Fixing the Country Movement

Fixing the Country Movement has notified the Ghana Police Service of their intention to exercise their constitutional rights under Article 21(1)(d) and (f) of the 1992 Constitution to picket at the office of former President John Mahama.

"We write with reference to Section 1 of the Public Order Act (Act 491), which provides that any person who desires to hold any special event within the meaning of that Act in any public place shall notify the police of his intention not less than 5 days before the date of the special event."

"In this regards, kindly note that FIXING THE COUNTRY MOVEMENT will hold a public assembly on Thursday, 12th October, 2023 in front of the office of former President John Mahama," a letter signed by its Convenor, Ernest Owusu Bempah said.

Airbus Saga

The movement highlights that it has been over three years since Airbus SE, a global aircraft provider based in France, agreed to pay hefty fines totaling more than $3.9 billion to resolve foreign bribery charges. The charges were brought forth by authorities in the United States, France, and the United Kingdom, stemming from the company’s scheme to bribe government officials and non-governmental airline executives worldwide.

As part of the global resolution, Airbus also entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the United Kingdom’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) over bribes paid in several countries, including Ghana.

The investigation revealed that Airbus engaged in a scheme from 2008 to 2015, offering and paying bribes to decision-makers and influencers to gain improper business advantages.

Of particular concern to the movement is the revelation that Airbus employed intermediaries, including renowned British actor Philip Middlemiss and John Mahama’s brother Samuel Adam Mahama, to facilitate the sale of military transport aircraft to Ghana.

The British and American authorities’ court records indicate that Airbus sought to obtain an “undue favor” from a member of the Ghanaian government, identified as “Government Official 1.”

The movement asserts that the Ghanaian justice system should conduct a thorough inquiry into the Airbus corruption, as the former President Mahama may have significant questions to answer. Despite a year passing since the Special Prosecutor announced the new phase of investigations, there has been little progress on the matter.