Former President John Dramani Mahama has removed the mystery surrounding the Government Official 1 (GO1) or Individual 1 tag in the explosive Airbus SE bribery scandal.
He is making what looks like a tacit admission that he is indeed GO1 or Individual 1 as referred to in separate investigations in the United Kingdom and the United States, as having received at least five million Euros in kickbacks from Airbus officials.
Although he appears to confirm the GO1 or Individual 1 tag, he has also denied vehemently that he took bribes during the transaction to procure aircraft for the Ghana Armed Forces during his tenure in spite of mounting forensic evidence against him.
It has taken the former President about four months to break his silence on the scandal.
Vehement Denial
He told ‘Daily Graphic’ last week that he did not benefit a dime in the transaction as being alleged and added that he was only motivated to see the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) retooled.
“Let me state without any equivocation that no financial benefit accrued to me. Neither was there any form of inducement in the purchase of the aircraft,†he claimed.
According to the ex-President, who is staging a comeback after being trounced at the polls in 2016 as the incumbent, “My singular motivation was to equip and retool the Ghana Armed Forces in a manner that would make the discharge of their national and international roles efficient and less burdensome and for all the sacrifices that our men and women in uniform make; they do not deserve less.â€
“I am happy that the said aircraft have become the backbone of the Ghana Air Force and its operations. They used for troop transportation, logistics deployment and medical evacuation (Sic),†he said.
Source:Â Daily Guide Network
