Asante Kwaku Berko, a former Managing Director of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), has been extradited to the United States from the United Kingdom to face charges of orchestrating bribes to Ghanaian officials while employed at Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
Berko, a dual citizen of the United States and Ghana, will be arraigned in federal court in Brooklyn today before Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom on an indictment charging him with violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and money laundering.
The indictment alleges that Berko bribed Ghanaian government officials to secure a power plant deal and laundered the payments through the U.S. financial system.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Berko’s extradition was made possible with the assistance of the Government of the United Kingdom, the U.K. National Centre Bureau for INTERPOL, the Embassy of the United States in London, the Department’s Office of International Affairs, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace, stated that “As alleged, the defendant bribed Ghanaian government officials to secure a lucrative development contract, relying on the U.S. banking system to execute his scheme.”
The FBI Assistant Director in Charge, Christie M. Curtis, added that “Financially influencing decision-makers, including those overseas, jeopardizes the integrity of affected countries while creating an unfair advantage to those promoting the bribery scheme.”
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s International Corruption Unit, and the prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section.
Assistant United States Attorneys Alixandra Smith, Jessica Weigel, and Tara McGrath, along with Trial Attorney Elina Rubin-Smith of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, Fraud Section, are in charge of the prosecution.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with the Government of the United Kingdom, U.K. National Central Bureau of INTERPOL, and U.S. Marshals Service to secure the arrest and extradition of Berko.