A former Managing Director of Ghana’s Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) has been extradited to the United States to face charges of orchestrating bribes to Ghanaian officials while working at Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
Asante Kwaku Berko, a dual citizen of the United States and Ghana, will appear in federal court in Brooklyn to face allegations of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and money laundering.
Berko is accused of bribing Ghanaian government officials to secure a power plant deal and laundering the payments through the U.S. financial system. He was extradited from the United Kingdom, where he was arrested in 2022, and will face trial in the Eastern District of New York.
The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York expressed the commitment to root out bribery and criminal practices that create inequalities in the business world, both domestically and internationally. The FBI also emphasized that citizens, regardless of nationality, will not be allowed to obtain corrupt contracts by exploiting foreign countries and using the U.S. financial system.
According to the indictment, Berko conspired with others to bribe Ghanaian officials in connection with the development and financing of a multi-million-dollar power plant in Ghana. Payments were made to ensure a Turkish energy company won the bid to build and operate the power plant, with detailed emails exchanged regarding bribe payments.
If convicted, Berko faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for conspiring to commit money laundering and five years in prison for each count of violating the FCPA and conspiring to violate the FCPA. The investigation was led by the FBI’s International Corruption Unit, with the prosecution being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section.
The extradition of Berko was made possible through collaboration between the United Kingdom government, U.K. National Central Bureau of INTERPOL, and U.S. Marshals Service. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs played a key role in securing the arrest and extradition of the defendant.