The Attorney-General’s Department has initiated steps to prosecute local individuals implicated in a multi-million dollar bribery scheme involving a Turkish energy firm and the Ghanaian government.
According to a social media update posted by the Deputy Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr Justice Srem-Sai, the Honourable Attorney-General is actively engaging United States counterparts to bring all local actors involved in the scandal to justice.
The bribery scheme relates to a 2014–2017 power plant development agreement executed between a Turkish energy producer and the Government of Ghana.
“The Honourable Attorney-General is working with his United States counterparts to bring to book persons who are implicated in the bribery scheme related to the 2014-2017 power plant development contract between a Turkish energy company and the Government,” Dr Srem-Sai stated.
This legal action follows the conviction of former investment banker Asante Kwaku Berko by a United States federal jury in Brooklyn, New York.
Berko was found guilty on charges including conspiracy to violate the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and related financial integrity laws.
American prosecutors established that bribes were distributed to several Ghanaian public officials to facilitate and secure key approvals for the Turkish firm’s power plant project.
Berko, a former Executive Director in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs, was found guilty of paying over $1 million (£780,000) in bribes to Ghanaian government officials to secure a power plant contract for a Turkish energy firm.
Following a nine-day trial before United States District Judge Diane Gujarati, Berko faces up to 30 years in prison. He has been remanded in custody pending sentencing
According to evidence presented at trial, Berko’s involvement began in December 2014 while managing a deal between the Republic of Ghana and Turkish energy company Aksa Enerji Uretim A.S. (Aksa), a Goldman Sachs client. The agreement aimed to construct and finance a power plant amidst a severe national energy crisis in Ghana.
To ensure Aksa secured the deal, Berko and his co-conspirators paid bribes across multiple levels of the Ghanaian government. In April 2015, they arranged $1 million for the Ghanaian Minister of Power and $250,000 for his senior adviser. Five officials also received bribes during an all-expenses-paid trip to Turkey to inspect equipment.
Following parliamentary ratification in July 2015, detailed emails confirmed further payments, including $46,000 paid directly by Berko to members of Parliament. Internal correspondence revealed recipients pressing for funds, with one asking for the “holy rain” to arrive “sooner rather than later.”
To hide the scheme, Berko lied to Goldman Sachs compliance officers, communicated through personal email accounts, and routed funds using shell companies, sham invoices, and cash withdrawals. Goldman Sachs ultimately withdrew from the deal due to corruption concerns.
Ghanaian authorities are now preparing to act on these disclosures to hold remaining accomplices accountable under domestic law.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
