The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has highlighted the role of international cooperation in the successful prosecution and conviction of Ghanaian-American businessman Asante Kwaku Berko in the United States.
According to the OSP, Berko was convicted by a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, on August 6, 2026, for conspiring to pay and paying more than US$1 million in bribes to multiple Ghanaian officials between 2014 and 2015.
The alleged payments were linked to the development and financing of a power plant in Ghana under an agreement involving the Government of Ghana, Turkish energy company Aksa Enerji and Goldman Sachs, where Berko previously served as an executive.
In a public notice issued on Monday, August 10, the OSP said it provided investigative and evidentiary assistance to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through Ghana’s established mutual legal assistance framework.
The OSP said its contribution to the case had been acknowledged by the US Department of Justice, which described the assistance provided by the Ghanaian anti-corruption agency as “significant” to the prosecution.
The Office said the case demonstrates the importance of cooperation between law enforcement agencies across jurisdictions in tackling cross-border corruption and financial crimes.
Berko, a former Managing Director of the Tema Oil Refinery and former Executive Director in Goldman Sachs’ Investment Banking Division, faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on November 10, 2026.
The OSP said the successful outcome of the case serves as a testament to the effectiveness of mutual legal assistance and international collaboration in the fight against corruption.
By: Bernard Mensah
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