Mahama will not shield anyone implicated in ex-TOR MD bribery case — Vondee
The Member of Parliament for Twifo Atti-Morkwa, David Theophilus Dominic Vondee, has said President John Dramani Mahama will not shield anyone found to have been involved in the corruption case involving former Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) Managing Director Asante Kwaku Berko.
He said the government would allow the appropriate institutions to investigate the matter and ensure that anyone found culpable faces the law, regardless of their political or governmental position.
A federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, convicted Berko on August 6, 2026, over a scheme involving the payment of more than $1 million in bribes to multiple Ghanaian officials in connection with the development and financing of a power plant in Ghana.
Berko, a dual citizen of Ghana and the United States, faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for November 10.
The conviction has generated public interest and renewed calls for investigations into the Ghanaian officials allegedly implicated in the case.
Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show on Monday, August 10, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) lawmaker said Mahama’s record demonstrated that he would not interfere with the prosecution of individuals found to have engaged in corruption.
“In his government or not, Mahama is not the kind of president that will shield anybody just because the person may be in his government or not. At least we've seen the issue of his own friend Abuga Pele was prosecuted under his regime,” he said.
Vondee said if investigations establish that individuals within or outside government engaged in corrupt practices, they should be taken through due process.
The Office of the Attorney General has announced plans to collaborate with US authorities to investigate and potentially prosecute Ghanaian officials implicated in the case.
The MP, however, cautioned against naming or declaring individuals guilty before their involvement had been established through investigations.
“If there are truths and if there are some facts being established that individuals engaged in any corrupt practices in his government, I think that they will be taken through the due process, and the truths will be uncovered,” he said.
He urged the public to exercise restraint and allow investigators to establish the facts surrounding the case.
“It is just not going to be proper to begin to pronounce people guilty, even before their names are even mentioned. It will not be appropriate, and so let's be cautious of what we see in the public domain,” Vondee added.