Co-chair of the Citizens Movement Against Corruption, Edem Senanu, has commended the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) for bringing closure to the longstanding Airbus bribery scandal.

In an interview on Joy FM’s Top Story on Thursday, August 8, he highlighted the investigation as a significant milestone in the country’s good governance.

"I believe that the OSP has been very thorough and it has been a good outcome,” the anti-corruption campaigner said.

The anti-corruption campaigner noted that the issue, which was initiated by a sitting president against a former president, has now been thoroughly examined, with the OSP finding no evidence of corruption.

"This is an issue that was triggered by a sitting president on the former president and you have an existing organisation that looked into the matter and says there is no evidence of culpability of corruption at a time where the one who triggered this particular matter still in power,” he explained.

He added that this sets an important precedent, showing that such investigations can be conducted fairly, even when initiated by a current leader.

He expressed hope that future leaders will be more mindful of potential conflicts of interest, advising them to distance themselves from such situations.

While acknowledging the embarrassment of a president being referred to as "Government Official 1," Senanu was relieved that no conflict of interest was found.

“We need to learn lessons from what has transpired as we move into the future,” he said.

His comment follows the OSP clearing Mr Mahama of any corruption allegation in the Airbus bribery scandal.

Read also: OSP found no evidence of corruption against Mahama in Airbus bribery scandal

However, Deputy General Secretary of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Haruna Mohammed, has criticized the OSP for what he describes as a "lazy job" in its investigation. into the scandal.

In an interview on JoyNews' The Pulse on Thursday, August 8, he argued that the OSP should have sought the court ruling from the UK, which referred to former President John Mahama as "Government Official 1," given the shared legal framework under common law.

He further elaborated that a thorough examination of the UK court's judgement, which includes the opinions and legal references of the judges, could have provided the necessary evidence to build a stronger case.

Read also: We’re very happy that government official 1 in Airbus scandal is clearly John Mahama – NPP

"The OSP has done a lazy job because you can’t conclude by saying that you don’t have all the facts at hand; hence you cannot prosecute the case. Did he go to ask for the judgement? What was the material used in the judgement in the UK? Has he been denied the judgement?" Mohammed questioned.