Ghana’s Attorney-General(AG) is collaborating with United States authorities is set to bring to justice individuals implicated in the bribery scheme tied to the 2014–2017 development of a power plant contract between a Turkish energy company and the Government of Ghana.
According to Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai, it follows the conviction of Asante Kwaku Berko by a United States federal jury sitting in Brooklyn, New York, on charges of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and related offences.
Berko, a dual US-Ghanaian citizen and former Executive Director in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs, was found guilty on all counts following a nine-day trial before US District Judge Diane Gujarati. Prosecutors say that between December 2014 and March 2017, Berko conspired with others to bribe Ghanaian government officials to secure approval for the development and financing of the multi-million-dollar power plant, which was being built by Aksa Enerji, a Turkish energy company and Goldman Sachs client, amid Ghana’s power crisis at the time.
Berko and his associates outside the bank are alleged to have paid high-ranking Ghanaian government officials more than US$1 million in bribes to secure the deal. He faces up to 30 years in prison when sentenced in November and has been remanded pending sentencing.
With the US conviction secured, attention now turns to Ghana, where the Attorney-General’s office says it is working with American counterparts to identify and prosecute any Ghanaian officials who received the bribes.
