Ghanaian authorities have known about the alleged Asante Berko–AKSA bribery deal since 2020, according to former Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu. He stated that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) began investigating the case more than six years ago.
The OSP opened investigations in April 2020 after the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (US-SEC) filed a civil case. This case was against Asante Kwaku Berko over alleged payments to Ghanaian government officials. These payments were linked to a Turkish energy company’s power plant project.
This revelation highlights a significant delay in domestic action on a high-profile corruption case. It raises questions about Ghana's commitment to fighting corruption independently. The incident also touches on Ghana's international reputation regarding financial integrity and governance. The alleged bribery involved substantial sums intended to influence government decisions.
Mr. Amidu, who was Special Prosecutor at the time, said the OSP accessed the U.S. case on April 13, 2020. This was the same day the SEC proceedings became public. He then directed OSP officials to start a preliminary investigation. “The OSP started investigations into this case in April 2020 and was in collaboration with FBI office in Ghana before I resigned my office in November 2020 as the special prosecutor,” he stated.
His comments follow Mr. Berko's conviction by a U.S. court on August 6, 2026, for his role in the bribery scheme. Mr. Amidu questioned why the Ghanaian government only announced its intention to pursue implicated persons after the U.S. conviction. He described this delay as “insulting to the intelligence of the electorate.” He argued that Ghana should not have waited for the United States to conclude its case before taking domestic action.
Mr. Amidu emphasized that the Government of Ghana is not a junior partner to the United States. He stated that Ghana should not wait for a U.S. court to convict a citizen before acting. The former Special Prosecutor said his office took the allegations seriously in 2020. They reviewed the 37-page SEC complaint and directed a preliminary investigation. He quoted himself from April 2020: “This office has an obligation to open investigations into the allegations of suspected commission of corruption and corruption-related offences against Asante K. Berko and his accomplices in Ghana.”
He noted that the investigation continued after his resignation and was inherited by the current Special Prosecutor. However, Mr. Amidu alleged that the investigation later disappeared from the OSP’s published list of cases. He argued that a completed investigation docket should have been ready for prosecution before the National Democratic Congress (NDC) returned to power in January 2025. This was based on the investigative tools available to the Government of Ghana.
The US-SEC complaint identified a politically exposed person and two Ghanaian government officials. These individuals were allegedly connected to the approval and pricing of the power plant project. The complaint alleged that Mr. Berko arranged for between GHS 3 million and GHS 4.5 million to be funneled through a Ghana-based intermediary company. This money was intended to bribe government officials. Mr. Amidu stated that professional investigators could not have missed the identities of implicated persons from the SEC complaint. He further accused the current government of using the development for political purposes. He found it troubling that the government now promises to pursue former appointees connected to the previous Mahama administration, despite the OSP's long-standing investigation.