Airbus scandal: Police statement on Interpol Red Alert was needless as Amidu unearths forgeries

The Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu has described as needless the statement by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) that his office' request triggered the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) to issue a warrant for the arrest of Samuel Adam Fosters, also known as Samuel Adam Mahama in relation to the Airbus bribery scandal.

He explained that his office built a good case warranting the Interpol red notices.

The CID said it facilitated the request for the Office of the Special Prosecutor with the Interpol General Secretariat to get other security agencies to help arrest the four persons described as "fugitives".

The police administration in a statement said the Red Alert on the said persons including one Philip Sean Middlemiss, Leanne Sarah Davis, and Sarah Furneaux is in connection with the Airbus scandal being investigated by the Office of the Special Prosecutor.

Following a request by the Office of the Special Prosecutor through the CID to the Interpol General Secretariat, the latter has issued a Red Notice in respect of the following individuals.

The individuals are Samuel Main Foster alias Adam Mahama, Philip Sean Middlemiss, Leanne Sarah Davis, and Sarah Furneaux.

However, Martin Amidu said, "On 17th July 200, it came to the notice of the SP that the Police/CID had usually gone out of its way to issue a news release to the media dated 16th July 2019 on the publication of Interpol Red Notice” informing the public that the Red Notice was issued at the behest of this Office. this office as an independent and active agency took the view that the publication made in its behalf was unusual, extraordinary, needless, and gratuitous as every Interpol red notice states its content the law enforcement agency at whose behest it is issued."

He indicated that investigations have shown that some of the players in the scandal engaged in impersonation and forged documents for the acquisition of a Ghanaian passport and stated that some of them portrayed themselves as graduates of the University of Ghana and civil servants, and forged other documents.

He revealed that: "The investigation into the Airbus SE bribery case in Ghana has been so thorough that it has even unearthed the suspected commission of other related crimes of impersonation as graduates of the University of Ghana, a civil servant, and forgeries in the application for the acquisition of a Ghanaian passport connect to this bribery case."

"The unethical and touting lawyers ought to know better that the guarantors of the Ghanaian passport are prima facie abettors of the impersonation and forgeries, as much as the guarantor who claimed falsely to be a civil servant. The passport has relevance to documents employed in facilitating the Airbus SE (Ghana) bribery," it added.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor also took the opportunity to "assure all Ghanaians that it cannot and will not be an instrument of any political party in its fight against corruption" while adding that crime will always remain a crime no matter whose ox is gored.

"It is better not to try to look into the eyes of the snake as the supporters of the four fugitives wanted for the prosecution have made it their past time to do," the statement said.