GOG SACKS GHANA INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES' CEO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ACCRA 000834 SIPDIS SIPDIS COMMERCE FOR MARIA RIVERO DAKAR FOR FAA -- ED JONES EB/TRA/AN (CARON DEMARS) EB/TRA/OTP (BMATTINGLEY, ARADETSKY) STATE PASS DOT (MICHAEL BODMAN) STATE PASS TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION (TSA) ROME FOR TSA REP JOHN HALINSKI STATE PASS FAA HEADQUARTERS WASH DC (LARRY KEPHART) E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/09/2016 TAGS: EAIR EINV GH SUBJECT: GOG SACKS GHANA INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES' CEO REF: A. 2005 ACCRA 2382 ¶B. 2005 ACCRA 1280 ¶C. 2005 ACCRA 891 ¶D. 2005 ACCRA 857 ¶E. 2005 ACCRA 678 ¶F. 2005 ACCRA 505 ¶G. 2005 ACCRA 407 ACCRA 00000834 001.2 OF 003 Classified By: EconChief Chris Landberg for Reasons 1.4 c & d. SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Minister for Presidential Affairs and Chief of Staff Kwadwo Mpiani sacked Ghana International Airlines' (GIA) CEO Brian Presbury April 7. National Security officers closed GIA's offices later that evening. Two Amcit employees that were in the office when National Security arrived and were permitted to leave the premises with their personal effects under the observation of Consular staff. High-level GoG contacts say Presbury's termination was prompted by evidence of fraud and gross mismanagement on the part of several members of the management staff, the GoG's partner GIA-USA, as well as GIA-USA's U.S.-based investors. End Summary. A NEW BEGINNING -------------- ¶2. (SBU) After the demise of Ghana Airways in the fall of 2004, the GoG formed GIA with Sentry Financial group of Salt Lake City Utah (reftels). Sentry Financial, through a subsidiary known as GIA-USA, invested $2.1 million for a 30% stake in the new airline in early 2005. The GoG followed suit a few months later with $4.9 million in equity for its 70%. SkyWest founder Ralph Atkins was named CEO. The MOU signed by GIA-USA and the GoG stated that GIA, subject to certain conditions, would have complete control of the company, despite having only a 30% share. GIA-USA hoped that their special agreement with the GoG would allow the company to raise capital by allaying potential investors' fears of another Ghana Airways. The prospects were initially bright, as Continental, United, South African, and Ethiopian Airlines all discussed various arrangements and partnerships with GIA, with Ethiopian going so far as to complete due diligence on a deal that would have brought aircraft, training, and equity to GIA. 
 FADING PROSPECTS -------------- ¶3. (C) In July 2005, Ralph Atkins quietly left GIA. Albert Vitale, who was then GIA's Chief of Operations, explained to EconOff that Atkins left out of frustration with Sentry Financial's inability to raise capital. Sentry Financial sold a portion of its investment in GIA-USA to Utah-based Baine Capital later that month, and the deal with Ethiopian fell through in August. Despite these setbacks, GIA managed to begin daily operations to London (Gatwick Airport) in October 2005 with a 757 wet leased from US-based Ryan Air. NEW AIRLINE, SAME SCAM -------------- ¶4. (C) By the end of January 2006 the situation at GIA began to unravel. At that time Vitale left the company to become an advisor to the Board of Directors. According to Vitale, GIA's new CEO, UK citizen Brian Presbury, had given Vice President of Public Affairs Sammy Crabbe a free hand in managing GIA. Vitale reported that Crabbe was giving inflated contracts to service providers owned by relatives, friends, and in at least one case, Crabbe himself. At the same time, GIA was making only sporadic and usually incomplete payments to Ryan, employees, and other legitimate service providers. Vitale also claimed that Crabbe had bypassed many of the computerized accounting checks that had been put in place to keep sales staff from embezzling funds. Air cargo transactions, excess baggage charges, and fees for flight changes were all being conducted on paper and exclusively in cash. ¶5. (C) Ghanaian Sammy Crabbe is a member of the ruling NPP and was recently elected Party Regional Chairman for Greater ACCRA 00000834 002.2 OF 003 Accra. He is the former Human Resource Director for ACS, a Utah-based company with a large data entry operation in Accra. Crabbe left ACS when he was implicated in a scam involving the abuse of ACS' duty-free computer importing license. ¶6. (C) After leaving GIA, Vitale convinced Chief of Staff Mpiani and GIA's Board of Directors to abrogate GIA-USA's contract and take over the company on the grounds of fraud and gross mismanagement. Vitale provided documents in support of his case, including bank statements showing that Sentry's original investment via GIA-USA may have been a sham. Vitale also provided a copy to Post. The documents show GIA-USA's entire stake being deposited and withdrawn from GIA's joint account with the GoG every day for many months. Vitale contended that this ensured the investment was never actually at risk, and that only the GoG's money was ever spent. ¶7. (C) Vitale also claimed that very little, if any, of the money from the "American investors" came from either Sentry or Baine Financial. He believed the vast majority of it belonged to Sammy Crabbe. Other sources have made the same claim. (NOTE: Sentry official Kirk Heaton admitted to EconOff that Sentry had Ghanaian investors during a discussion in December of 2004, although he would not disclose the names of any specific investors. END NOTE.) GIA GETS GROUNDED - PRESIDENT CLEANS HOUSE -------------- ¶8. (C) On April 2, Ryan Air informed GIA management that GIA's flight to Accra, which was approaching boarding time at Gatwick, would not leave the ground until Ryan received the $1.3 million it was owed. Ryan received $400,000 within two hours, and agreed to make the flight as long the balance was paid by April 8. (NOTE: It was paid April 7. END NOTE.) The damage was already done. The delay caused the flight to miss its take-off slot, and subsequently its flight slot over France. A new flight plan was filed, but by then the passengers had been sitting on the aircraft for several hours. ¶9. (SBU) According to GIA's Security Chief, Amcit Ladislao Diaz, when the aircraft began to taxi for take-off, passengers were refusing to stay in their seats and obey instructions. As a result, the pilot made the decision to return to the terminal. Diaz told EconOff that several passengers became belligerent when they realized the plane would not be taking off and attempted to break through the locked cockpit door. Two flight attendants were injured before the two Ghanaian air marshals onboard were able to restore order and disembark the passengers. ¶10. (C) Chief of Staff Mpiani told EconOff in a telcon April 7 that he had met with Presbury and Crabbe earlier that day to discuss the situation at GIA. At that meeting he decided to fire Presbury on the spot, and dispatched National Security officers to close the GIA offices in Accra and send the employees home. While the offices were being cleared, Crabbe arrived with his legal counsel, members of the press, and several dozen "protestors." Two Amcit GIA employees on the scene called the Embassy and reported they were being detained and their personal property was being confiscated. ConChief, ConOff, and ARSO went to the scene to investigate and found that the Amcits were not being detained or molested. EmbOffs and Amcits departed soon thereafter. Details will be reported septel. COMMENT - WHY DO WE CARE? -------------- ¶11. (C) The presence of Americans on both sides of what could potentially be another investment dispute with the GoG merits careful attention. Post has seen evidence of possible malfeasance by some members of GIA's management team, and we have also seen copies of contracts Crabbe is accused of granting to cronies that were approved and signed by Vitale while he was still employed by the Airline. Now Vitale expects the GoG to reinstate him to a position of authority ACCRA 00000834 003.2 OF 003 at GIA. ¶12. (C) While we have maintained close contact on the issue of GIA since the demise of Ghana Airways, Post has not commented outside our oft-stated desire to see the number of reliable air connections to Accra increase. At this time, the evidence suggests that GIA may indeed have violated their MOU with the GoG, and there may be grounds for abrogating the contract. What is clear is that GIA's management has burned through $10 million in 10 months with little to show for it. Regardless, Post will continue to insist that American citizens and companies receive fair treatment under Ghanaian law in this, or any other dispute and that the GoG take action against corruption. End Comment. LANIER