Communications Director of the Unity Party, Solomon Owusu, has said the convicted former Managing Director of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), Asante Berko and his associate made over $42 million from the AKSA power deal.
According to Solomon Owusu, the over $1 million bribe given to public officials was not the main reason for Asante Berko’s conviction.
He argued that the main argument should be how people looted taxpayers in the government’s quest to find a solution to Ghana’s dumsor challenges at that time.
Solomon Owusu disclosed that Ghana was overcharged in the AKSA deal, with Asante Berko and his associates allegedly making millions of dollars from the deal.
Speaking on a recent discussion on Angel FM/TV, Solomon Owusu stated, “The $1 million bribe is not even the issue. If you look at the court document beyond this (the bribe), Berko and a Turkish guy demanded that they would be given a share in all businesses if they were able to secure the contract (the AKSA deal).
“So, the agreement was that the money they were going to earn depended on the price per kilowatt they were selling the power to the government of Ghana. Initially, they were supposed to get $25 million a year, but the Turkish company said it would go against them. So, they went to meet in London and agreed that the deal should not be dependent on the price per kilowatt,” he said.
He added, “So, Berko and his associates charged $42 million. This is where the issue is and not the $1 million bribe – $1 million is chicken change; the court document captures $42 million. As Ghanaians are suffering, Berko and his associates were enjoying.”
He further called on the Mahama government to fight as companies involved in the deal, the US financial market, and Asante Berko benefited from the deal at the expense of Ghana.
Meanwhile, Asante Kwaku Berko, the former Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) Managing Director, is facing up to 30 years in US prison after conviction in power plant bribery.
The former TOR MD 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.
Asante Berko, who was then an executive director in the investment banking division of Goldman Sachs at the time, was involved in managing the transaction between the bank’s client, Aksa Enerji, and the Republic of Ghana.
In July 2024, Asante Berko was extradited to the United States after living in the United Kingdom and being arrested in November 2022 following an Interpol Red Notice.
The US prosecution also accused him of using the American financial system to facilitate the movement of illicit payments connected to the deal.
Asante Berko was convicted of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), violating the FCPA and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
He has since been remanded in custody pending sentencing, which is scheduled for November 10.
Watch the video below:
Man of the Moment Solomon OWUSU on Attorney General working with America 🇺🇸 authorities to pursue people allegedly involved in the bribery scheme linked to the financing of a Turkish 🇹🇷 power plant following the conviction of Asante Kweku Berko, former Goldman Sachs executive in… pic.twitter.com/rbSqFRQf35
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