Kwabena Donkor, former VRA workers, others named as 'person of interest' in Asante Berko/Aksa Energy bribery probe

The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, has identified former Power Minister Kwabena Donkor as a person of interest in investigations into the alleged bribery involving Asante Kwaku Berko and Aksa Energy.

Mr Agyebeng disclosed this at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, as he marked five years since assuming office as Special Prosecutor.

He said four other individuals had also been identified as persons of interest in the Ghanaian aspect of the case involving Asante Kwaku Berko, the dual Ghanaian-American citizen who was convicted by a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, on August 6, 2026.

Berko, a former Managing Director of the Tema Oil Refinery and former Executive Director in the investment banking division of Goldman Sachs, was convicted of conspiring to pay more than $1 million in bribes to Ghanaian officials between 2014 and 2015.

According to the Special Prosecutor, the alleged payments were connected to the development and financing of a 370-megawatt fuel oil plant in Tema under an agreement between the Republic of Ghana and Aksa Enerji Üretim, a Turkish energy company that was a client of Goldman Sachs.

Mr Agyebeng said the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) provided investigative and evidentiary assistance to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the case under Ghana’s mutual legal assistance arrangements.

He added that the United States Department of Justice had acknowledged the OSP’s contribution to the prosecution.

Despite the assistance provided to US authorities, Mr Agyebeng said the OSP had continued investigating the Ghanaian aspect of the case.

He cautioned, however, that Berko’s conviction in the United States did not automatically establish criminal liability for any individual under Ghanaian law.

According to him, the conduct of each person linked to the matter must be assessed independently under Ghanaian law and based on evidence obtained through lawful means.

Other persons of interest

The other individuals identified as persons of interest are Francis W.K. Dzata, who served as a technical adviser to the Minister of Power at the time; Solomon Ajete-Sowa, a former Deputy Director at the Ministry of Power; Lenden George Nisor-Metal, a director at Tri-Corp Group Limited; and Bafo Ankuma-Brobay, an employee of Tri-Corp Group Limited.

Mr Agyebeng said the list also includes current and former officials of the Volta River Authority, Ghana Grid Company Limited, the Electricity Company of Ghana, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission and the institution formerly known as the Ministry of Power.

He stressed that being designated a person of interest was not synonymous with being a suspect.

The Special Prosecutor said neither designation amounted to criminal liability or a finding of guilt, noting that any criminal responsibility would ultimately have to be established before a court beyond reasonable doubt.

He therefore urged the media to exercise caution when reporting on the individuals named in connection with the investigation.

Mr Agyebeng also dismissed suggestions from what he described as official sources that the OSP lacked the capacity to investigate the Ghanaian dimension of the case.

He cited the Office’s role in assisting the US prosecution of Berko as evidence of its investigative capabilities and called for stronger collaboration among Ghana’s investigative, intelligence and prosecutorial institutions.

He said the fight against corruption should be approached as a collective national responsibility rather than a competition between state institutions.