OSP Airbus Report: ‘Stay within your boundaries’ – Prof. Smart Sarpong tells Kissi Agyebeng

Professor Smart Sarpong has advised the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, not to turn himself into a judge over cases in his office.

The Senior Researcher, discussing the Special Prosecutor’s report on the Airbus scandal, wondered how Kissi Agyebeng came to his conclusions that exonerated former President John Dramani Mahama, whose name dropped in investigations into the scandal.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has established that Mahama is the “Government Official 1” as cited in the UK and US investigations but says he didn’t engage in any act of corruption.

“The OSP found no evidentiary basis that suggests that former President John Dramani Mahama or any other public official was induced to improperly favour or did improperly favour Airbus in respect of the purchase by the Government of Ghana of military transport aircraft from Airbus,” the OSP stated.

It cleared the former President, saying, “the Special Prosecutor has directed the closure of the OSP investigation into alleged bribery of high-ranking Ghanaian officials by Airbus SE, through intermediaries, in respect of the sale of military transport aircraft by Airbus SE to the Republic of Ghana between 2009 and 2015.”

But Prof. Smart Sarpong has cautioned the Special Prosecutor, stressing he should “stay within your boundary. Establish whether there was a case or no case but don’t draw conclusions.”

He reminded the OSP of its remit to prosecute matters, not to give verdicts.

“Watch the law carefully. If you don’t have authority to pronounce (judgement), don’t pronounce it. Present your findings and leave the conclusions to court,” he said in his submissions on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo” show.

Watch his remarks in the video below:

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