Conviction of Asante Kwaku Berko; International Cooperation in Action

On 6 August 2026, a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, convicted Asante Kwaku Berko (a dual citizen of Ghana and the United States and 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 $1m in bribes between 2014 - 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