Deputy Attorney-General Justice Srem Sai says the Attorney-General’s Office is working with its counterparts in the United States to pursue other individuals implicated in a bribery scheme linked to the development of a power plant in Ghana.
According to him, the collaboration follows the conviction of Ghanaian-American businessman and former Goldman Sachs executive Asante Kwaku Berko by a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York.
Justice Srem Sai disclosed that the Attorney-General, Dr Dominic Ayine, is engaging US authorities to ensure that persons implicated in the alleged bribery scheme are brought to book.
The case relates to a power plant development and financing agreement between the Government of Ghana and Turkish energy company Aksa Enerji between 2014 and 2017.
Berko was convicted on charges including conspiracy to violate the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, violation of the Act and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The verdict followed a nine-day trial before US District Judge Diane Gujarati. (Department of Justice)
US prosecutors said Berko and his co-conspirators conspired to pay more than US$1 million in bribes to Ghanaian government officials to secure approvals for the multimillion-dollar power plant project.
Evidence presented at the trial included allegations that payments were discussed for senior government officials and that other officials received money during an all-expenses-paid trip to Turkey to inspect equipment for the proposed plant. Prosecutors also said the scheme involved shell companies, sham invoices, nominee accounts and cash withdrawals to conceal the payments. (Department of Justice)
The power plant agreement was subsequently ratified by Ghana’s Parliament in July 2015.
Berko, who previously served as Managing Director of the Tema Oil Refinery, faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison when he is sentenced in November. He has been remanded pending sentencing.
Justice Srem Sai’s disclosure signals that the Ghanaian authorities intend to pursue the matter beyond Berko’s conviction, with the Attorney-General’s Office seeking cooperation from US authorities in identifying and taking action against other persons allegedly connected to the scheme.
The development could potentially widen the scope of the long-running corruption investigation and put renewed focus on the circumstances surrounding the approval and financing of the power plant project.
By: Bernard Mensah
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