Conviction of fmr. TOR MD: We provided investigation and evidentiary assistance to the FBI of the United States - OSP

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has announced that it provided investigative and evidentiary assistance to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States, leading to the conviction of the former Managing Director of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), Asante Kwaku Berko, by a United States federal jury in Brooklyn, New York.

The OSP stated that its involvement in the case has been acknowledged by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) as providing “significant assistance to this prosecution.”

In a statement titled "Conviction of Asante Kwaku Berko, International Cooperation in Action," the OSP said: "On 6 August 2026, a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, convicted Asante Kwaku Berko (a dual citizen of Ghana and the United States, former Managing Director of Tema Oil Refinery, and former Executive Director in the Investment Banking Division of the U.S.-based Goldman Sachs Group) of conspiring to pay and paying more than $1 million in bribes between 2014 and 2015 to multiple Ghanaian officials in connection with the development and financing of a power plant in Ghana under a deal between the Republic of Ghana and Aksa Enerji Uretim A.S., a Turkish energy company and Goldman Sachs client.

"The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) provided investigation and evidentiary assistance to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States through Ghana’s established mutual legal assistance framework. The involvement of the OSP has been acknowledged by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) as providing 'significant assistance to this prosecution.' Berko faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. The sentence will be handed down on 10 November 2026. This case highlights the effectiveness of international cooperation in combating cross-border corruption crimes. The cooperation between the FBI and the OSP on this case occurred behind the scenes, and its public outcome of a successful prosecution is a testament to the importance of mutual legal assistance.”

Earlier, Ghana's Deputy Attorney-General, Justice Srem Sai, announced that Attorney-General Dr. Dominic Ayine was working with his United States counterparts to bring to book persons implicated in the bribery scheme related to the 2014–2017 power plant development contract between the Turkish energy company and the government.

This followed the conviction of the former Managing Director of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), Asante Kwaku Berko, by a United States federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, on charges of conspiracy to violate the United States’ Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other related laws.

Srem Sai wrote this on his Facebook page on Saturday, August 8.

Kwaku Asante Berko, also a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc banker, has been convicted for paying more than $1 million in bribes related to the development of a power plant in Ghana.

He went on trial in late July 2026 for allegedly bribing government officials in Ghana to secure the lucrative power plant deal for a client.

Asante Berko, 52, and his associates outside the bank are said to have paid high-ranking government officials in Ghana more than US$1 million in bribes a decade ago to approve the development and financing of the multimillion-dollar power plant, prosecutor Katherine Raut told a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York in her opening statement.

Asante Berko, a dual citizen of the United States and Ghana, was convicted by a federal jury in Brooklyn on all counts of an indictment charging conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), violating the FCPA, and money laundering conspiracy for paying bribes to Ghanaian government officials in connection with the development of a power plant in Ghana.

The verdict followed a nine-day trial before United States District Judge Diane Gujarati. When sentenced, Berko faces up to 30 years in prison. Berko has been remanded pending sentencing.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, A. Tysen Duva, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office, announced the verdict in a release from the United States Attorney's Office in Eastern District of New York.

“Today’s verdict marks another significant victory in this Office’s longstanding commitment to rooting out corruption,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.

“The defendant abused his access to high-level foreign government officials and his platform as an investment banker at a prestigious American firm to line his own pockets with millions of dollars,” it added.

“We live in a global economy that American companies must be able to compete in fairly,” said Assistant Attorney General Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

“This defendant corrupted that fair competition. He abused his position at a world-renowned American investment bank by helping bribe Ghanaian officials, so he and his co-conspirators, including senior executives at a Turkish company, could make money. Today’s conviction makes clear that criminals who undermine our country’s interests by corrupting foreign governments and cutting off fair competition will face the full force of the Department of Justice.” Ghana travel guide

“Today’s verdict highlights the importance of domestic and international partnerships, and the magnitude of success that working together creates. The FBI is thankful for the assistance from the Department of Justice and the United Kingdom – specifically to the Office of International Affairs, U.S. Marshals Service, and INTERPOL – in pursuing justice to protect our country’s financial integrity,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

U.S. Attorney Nocella also expressed his appreciation to the Government of the United Kingdom, the U.K. National Centre Bureau for INTERPOL, the Embassy of the United States in London, the Department’s Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Marshals Service for providing substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of the defendant.

As proved at trial, Berko conspired to pay more than $1 million in bribes to multiple Ghanaian government officials in connection with the development and financing of a power plant estimated to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in profits.

Beginning in December 2014, Berko, a former Executive Director in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs group, was responsible for securing and managing a deal between the Republic of Ghana and Aksa Enerji Uretim A.S. (Aksa), a Turkish energy company and Goldman client, for the construction and financing of a power plant in Ghana amidst a national energy crisis in the country.

During the scheme, Berko and his co-conspirators paid and conspired to pay bribes to individuals at numerous levels of the Ghanaian government to ensure that Aksa won its bid to build and operate the power plant.