Special Prosecutor Names Ex-Power Minister Kwabena Donkor in Asante Berko Bribery Probe

• Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng named former Power Minister Kwabena Donkor as a person of interest in the Asante Berko/Aksa Energy bribery investigations
• Berko, a former Goldman Sachs executive, was convicted by a US federal jury in Brooklyn on August 6, 2026, for conspiring to pay over $1 million in bribes to Ghanaian officials
• Four other individuals connected to Ghana's Ministry of Power and energy sector were also named as persons of interest by the Office of the Special Prosecutor

Ghana's Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, has publicly identified former Power Minister Kwabena Donkor as a person of interest in ongoing investigations into alleged bribery connected to the Asante Berko case and Turkish energy firm Aksa Enerji Üretim.

Agyebeng announced at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, held to mark five years since he was sworn into office.

Asante Kwaku Berko, a dual Ghanaian-American citizen who previously served as Managing Director of the Tema Oil Refinery and as an Executive Director in Goldman Sachs' investment banking division, was found guilty by a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, on August 6, 2026. Prosecutors established that he conspired to channel more than $1 million in bribes to Ghanaian government officials between 2014 and 2015.

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The payments were allegedly tied to securing agreements for the construction and financing of a 370-megawatt fuel oil power plant in Tema. The project involved a deal between the Republic of Ghana and Aksa Enerji Üretim, a Turkish energy company that was a Goldman Sachs client at the time.

Agyebeng confirmed that his office, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), had actively supported the US Federal Bureau of Investigation through Ghana's mutual legal assistance framework, and that the United States Department of Justice formally acknowledged that contribution.

Beyond Donkor, the Special Prosecutor identified four additional persons of interest: Francis W.K. Dzata, who served as a technical adviser to the Minister of Power at the relevant 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 the same firm.

Agyebeng further indicated that current and former staff of the Volta River Authority, the Ghana Grid Company Limited, the Electricity Company of Ghana, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission, and the former Ministry of Power were also under scrutiny.

He was careful to draw a clear distinction between the designations involved, stressing that being named a person of interest differs from being classified as a suspect, and that neither label constitutes criminal liability. He reminded the public that guilt must be established in court beyond reasonable doubt, and called on journalists to report the matter responsibly.

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Kwabena Donkor reacts to Asante Berko bribery links

YEN.com.gh reported that Donkor denied any connection to bribery allegations that surfaced following the conviction of Berko.

In a statement released through his legal representatives, Dr Donkor said he had no knowledge whatsoever of the allegations circulating about him on social media and flatly denied ever requesting or receiving money from Berko or anyone else.

Source: YEN.com.gh