Following the Deputy Attorney General, Dr Justice Srem-Sai, in a social media post revelation that the Government of Ghana, through the Office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, is working with the United States (US) authorities to bring to book other persons linked to the million-dollar Turkish Power Plant bribery deal, details have emerged of Ghanaian government officials link to the bribery scandal.
The former TOR MD Asante Berko was convicted by a federal jury in the United States over a bribery and money laundering scheme linked to a power plant project in Ghana.
Asante Kwaku Berko, a dual US-Ghanaian citizen, was convicted in Brooklyn on August 6, 2026, on all counts in the indictment, following a nine-day trial before US District Judge Diane Gujarati in the Eastern District of New York.
According to information gathered, Asante Berko and others conspired to pay more than US$1 million in bribes to Ghanaian government officials to help secure a multimillion-dollar power plant deal for Turkish energy company AKSA Enerji Uretim A.S.
The shady deal centres on a power plant deal that was under development and financing between December 2014 and July 2015.
However, details provided by US court documents disclosed that several Ghanaian officials allegedly received bribes to facilitate a power plant deal during Ghana’s power crisis in 2014 and 2015.
The US court document, however, did not provide any names but provided institutions connected to AKSA Enerji’s emergency power project bribe.
The court document detailed that Asante Berko and his co-conspirators paid and conspired to pay bribes to individuals at various levels of the Ghanaian government to ensure that the said company AKSA won its bid to build and operate the power plant.
- The Power Minister (2015)
In April 2015, Berko and his co-conspirators discussed paying $1 million to the Ghanaian Minister of Power, who was responsible for securing key approvals for the project.
- Senior adviser to the Power Minister
The court documents also indicate that $250,000 was discussed as a payment to the Power Minister’s senior adviser to enable the project to progress.
- 5 Ghanaian officials who travelled to Turkey
Bribes were also allegedly paid to five Ghanaian officials during an all-expenses-paid trip to Turkey to inspect equipment for the proposed power plant, and each of them allegedly received $5,000.
The court documents detailed that after the power plant deal was ratified by Ghana’s Parliament in July 2015, Berko and his co-conspirators exchanged detailed emails regarding the alleged bribe payments.
- Members of Parliament
The US court documents further indicate that members of Ghana’s Parliament were among the alleged recipients of bribes.
They disclosed that in August 2015, Berko and his co-conspirators discussed $250,000 in bribe payments to various individuals, including $46,000 to Members of the Ghanaian Parliament who had ratified the agreement between Aksa and the Government of Ghana, revealing that payment to the MPs was made by Berko himself.
- Unnamed individuals
The court documents also refer to other unnamed individuals who were allegedly involved in the scheme. The co-conspirators reportedly discussed how one alleged recipient was waiting for the “holy rain”, a term they used to refer to the bribe payment.
However, Kay Codjoe, an Associate of IMANI Africa, in a post on Facebook, lifted the veil on the individuals fingered in the million-dollar Turkish Power Plant bribery deal.
Kay Codjoe, in his Facebook post, wrote, “So let us begin lifting the veil. The Senior Ghana Official is readily identifiable from the public record as Dr Kwabena Donkor, then Minister of Power. The strongest documentary match for Ghana Official 1 is Francis W. K. Dzata, Technical Adviser to the Minister. His documented functions closely resemble those attributed by American prosecutors to the adviser who communicated the Minister’s concerns, helped organise the Turkey inspection and circulated the March 11 Emergency Project Team.
Ghana Official 2 remains less certain. John Abdulai Jinapor, then Deputy Minister of Power, is presently the strongest candidate in my reconstruction. William Owuraku Aidoo, also Deputy Minister, remains within the relevant universe. Neither should be labelled Ghana Official 2 until documentary evidence settles it. An investigation must unveil people, not invent them.
The Turkish Energy Company was AKSA Enerji. The Turkish holding company was Kazancı Holding. The American financial institution was Goldman Sachs. The Presidential Relative remains publicly unresolved. Co Conspirator 1 was a Ghanaian director of Ghana Consulting Company 1. Co Conspirator 4 was a Ghanaian and United States permanent resident who was a principal of both Ghana consulting companies. Co Conspirators 2 and 3 were senior Turkish AKSA executives. The corporate leadership universe includes Cüneyt Uygun and Nesim İbrahimhakkıoğlu, although the public material does not conclusively assign either man to a particular pseudonym.
Then comes Parliament. The recomposed Mines and Energy Committee was chaired by Amadu Bukari Sorogo, now Chairman of the National Fertilizer Council, with Adam Mutawakilu, now Managing Director of Ghana Water Limited, as Vice Chairman; Kobina Tahir Hammond, former MP for Adansi Asokwa and former Trade and Industry Minister, as Ranking Member; and Edward Ennin, former MP for Obuasi East, as Deputy Ranking Member.
The remaining members were Mahama Toure Naser, who later remained MP for Ayawaso East until his death in January 2026; Gershon K. B. Gbediame, former MP for Nkwanta South; Salifu Ameen, former MP; Kwadwo Emmanuel Agyekum, now MP for Nkoranza South and Minister of State responsible for Special Initiatives; Michael Coffie Boampong, former MP for Bia West, who died in 2018; Cletus Apul Avoka, former MP for Zebilla and former Majority Leader; Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, now MP for Asawase and Minister for the Interior; Mathias Kwame Ntow, former MP for Aowin; Dr Stephen Nana Ato Arthur, former MP for Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem; Isaac Kwame Asiamah, former MP for Atwima Mponua and former Youth and Sports Minister; William Owuraku Aidoo, former MP for Afigya Kwabre South and former Deputy Energy Minister; Mustapha Ussif, current MP for Yagaba Kubori and former Youth and Sports Minister; Benjamin Kofi Ayeh, former MP for Upper Denkyira West; and Joseph Cudjoe, former MP for Effia and former Minister for Public Enterprises.
These are not eighteen accused MPs. They are the parliamentary investigative universe against which DOJ’s US$46,000 must be tested. Some remain politically active. Some occupy important state positions. Some have left Parliament. Some have died. Time does not erase the evidentiary question. It makes reconstruction more urgent. Who attended the relevant proceedings? Who dealt with the promoters? Who appears in Berko’s communications? Which MPs, if any, intersect with the money trail?
The institutional trail reaches the Energy Commission, GRIDCo, PURC, ECG and VRA. The contemporary leadership and technical universe includes Alfred Ofosu Ahenkorah, William Amuna, Samuel Kwadwo Sarpong, Emmanuel K. Annan, Robert Dwamena, Kirk
Then comes perhaps the most consequential document Ghana has yet to produce publicly. On March 11, 2015, Ghana Official 1 circulated an Emergency Project Team comprising representatives of agencies responsible for completing tasks necessary for AKSA. Ghana Official 2 was on that team. Later, the bribery correspondence describes an eight-person “Power Team,” with Ministry of Power and ECG representatives considered particularly important. Were they the same people? If so, one document could unlock several identities simultaneously.
Koffi and senior GRIDCo engineers including Samuel F. Kwofie, Bernard Modey, Eric Asare, Norbert Anku, Suraj Amadu and Isaac Akesseh. Their positions establish no wrongdoing. They tell investigators where to look. America has supplied the fingerprints. Ghana has the personnel files. Match them”.
See the post below:
@ghnow_ Guess what A Plus told Vicky Zugah? 🤔🤣 Watch closely and tell us what you think he said! 😂👇 #GHNow #fyp ♬ sonido original – 🄹🄰🅁🄺🄺🄾 🅅🄸🄳🄰🄻
@ghnow_ Salma Mumin shares a warm and heartfelt moment with Jackie Appiah at the funeral ceremony of the late Beverly Afaglo. 🕊️❤️ #GHNow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
