The Office said there is "reasonable suspicion of corruption" in the Airbus between 2009-2015 in the now-famous airbus military aircraft scandal.
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Airbus scandal: There's reasonable suspicion of corruption but don't politicise - Martin Amidu
The Office of the Special Prosecutor has appealed to the public not to speculate or politicise the disclosures made in relation to the Airbus bribery scandal.
Martin Amidu
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A statement signed by the Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, said the Office commenced investigations into the scandal.
It said the office had contacted the relevant domestic public institutions which could assist the ongoing investigations to provide information and documents under the OSP Act, 2017 (Act 959), adding that contacts had also been initiated with the appropriate foreign authorities, as provided by law, for information and documents to assist the investigations.
It added: "The Office of the Special Prosecutor appeals to the public not to speculate or politicise the disclosures made in the deferred prosecution agreement and judgments so as to allow this office to treat the suspected crimes as suspected crimes, simplicitas, and nothing more, pending the conclusion of the investigations."
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Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu with Nana Addo
Pulse Ghana
On February 3, 2020, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo referred the Airbus bribery scandal to the Office of the Special Prosecutor for immediate investigations.
A letter signed by Communications Director at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin stated that these investigations are expected to be conducted in collaboration with the United Kingdom authorities.
The reports which emerged after the company admitted in a UK court that it paid bribes to officials in some five countries including Ghana between 2009 and 2015 have sparked rumours in Ghana.
Some Ghanaians have challenged the NDC which was in charge of the governance of the country during the period to respond to the claims.
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NDC reacts
In a statement, the former minister of Justice Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong said the media has misrepresented the facts as happened in the court.
"Our attention has been drawn to media reports about a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) entered between Airbus SE and the United Kingdom Serious Fraud Office in respect of the practice of Airbus SE in paying commission to its agents and the use of those commissions. The reports alleging that Airbus SE paid bribes during the administration of President John Evans Atta Mills and John Dramani Mahama are false, misleading and do not reflect the Approved Judgment.
"Indeed, the Approved Judgment of the Crown Court of Southwark approving the DPA between Airbus and the UK Serious Fraud Office does not allege that any payment was made by Airbus to any Ghanaian Government official," the statement said.
It added: "It is, therefore, a gross distortion for the media to conclude that officials of the Ghana Government between 2009 and 2015 were bribed or paid any commissions by Airbus for the acquisition of the Casa C-295 aircrafts".
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