Ex-TOR MD accused of paying bribes to Ghana officials to secure power deal

A former Goldman Sachs banker and a former Managing Director (MD) of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), Asante Berko, has been accused by US prosecutors of paying more than $1 million in bribes to Ghanaian public officials to help a Turkish energy company secure a lucrative power plant contract, as his corruption trial opened in a federal court in Brooklyn, New York.

This is according to a news report on mlex.com on Wednesday, July 29, 2026.

According to prosecutors, Mr Berko used his political connections in Ghana, including links to the brother of the then-president, to facilitate payments to government officials, regulators, members of Parliament and equipment inspectors on behalf of Turkish power producer Aksa Enerji.

“This case is about corruption,” Katherine Raut, an attorney with the US Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, told jurors during opening statements on Tuesday.

“The defendant was at the centre of every piece of it,” she added.

Berko, a dual US-Ghana citizen, has pleaded not guilty to charges including violating the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), conspiracy to violate the FCPA and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Prosecutors allege that the bribery scheme dates back to 2014 and was aimed at securing approvals for a power plant project in Ghana that was expected to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for Aksa Enerji.

Raut told the jury that Berko paid bribes in cash and concealed the alleged scheme by using personal email accounts rather than his Goldman Sachs work email.

She said Goldman Sachs eventually withdrew from the deal after identifying red flags and raising concerns about the transaction.

However, Berko allegedly continued pursuing the project independently in anticipation of receiving financial rewards.

Prosecutors indicated they would present emails, bank records, invoices and other documents they say were used to facilitate and conceal the alleged payments.

“You’ll see the lies the defendant and his criminal partners told to keep their bribes secret,” Raut told jurors.

However, Berko’s lawyer, Robert Boone, rejected the allegations, describing the government’s case as a fabrication.

Drawing a comparison to the disgraced pop duo Milli Vanilli, Boone argued that prosecutors were presenting an attractive but ultimately false narrative.

“What you just heard from the government is an incredible story, but it wasn’t true,” he told the jury.

Boone questioned the strength of the evidence, noting that the allegations relate to events more than a decade ago.

“The government had 12 years, more than enough time, to gather its evidence. Where is it?” he asked.

According to the defence, Berko acted only as an intermediary between Aksa Enerji and a local Ghanaian partner during efforts to address Ghana’s electricity crisis at the time. Boone argued that Berko’s role was limited to helping the company secure financing after it had already won the contract.

He also contended that prosecutors would not call any witness who directly received or witnessed the alleged bribes.

The trial’s first witness was Amandine Martin, a Goldman Sachs vice president who previously worked on the Aksa Enerji deal team.

Martin provided background on the proposed power project and testified that financial models prepared by Goldman Sachs projected annual profits of more than $100 million over the life of a five-year power purchase agreement.

The trial is expected to last approximately two weeks. If convicted on all counts, Berko could face up to 30 years in prison.