The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) says its investigative and evidentiary assistance to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) contributed to the conviction of former Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) Managing Director Asante Kwaku Berko in a US bribery case.
The OSP disclosed that its support was provided under Ghana’s mutual legal assistance framework and was specifically recognised by the United States Department of Justice (DoJ).
“The involvement of the OSP has been acknowledged by the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) as providing ‘significant assistance to this prosecution,’” the OSP said in a public notice issued on Monday, August 10, 2026.
FBI investigation
A federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, convicted Mr Berko on August 6, 2026, after finding him guilty of conspiring to pay and paying more than US$1 million in bribes to several Ghanaian officials between 2014 and 2015.
The case centred on a bribery scheme connected to the development and financing of a power plant in Ghana under an agreement involving the Republic of Ghana and Turkish energy company Aksa Enerji Uretim A.S.
Aksa was a client of US investment bank Goldman Sachs, where Mr Berko previously worked.
According to the OSP, much of its collaboration with the FBI happened away from public view, with Ghanaian authorities providing investigative information and evidence required by US prosecutors.
Cross border corruption
The OSP said the case demonstrates the importance of cooperation between law enforcement agencies when corruption investigations cross national borders.
It also pointed to mutual legal assistance as a key mechanism for sharing evidence and information between jurisdictions.
Mr Berko, a dual citizen of Ghana and the United States, faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison following his conviction.
He is scheduled to appear before the US court on November 10, 2026, for sentencing.
READ ALSO: Ghana Fixed Income Market Turnover Hits GH¢3.69bn as DDEP Bonds Dominate
