Omanghana
Ghana’s Economic and Organised Crime Office has intensified its investigation into the domestic aspects of the Asante Berko bribery scandal, with renewed attention on tracing transactions, identifying beneficiaries and recovering suspected illicit assets.
EOCO announced the escalation in a statement issued on Monday, August 10, 2026, shortly after a United States federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, convicted the former Goldman Sachs banker and ex-Managing Director of the Tema Oil Refinery on multiple corruption and money-laundering charges.
Following the verdict, Ghana’s Attorney-General directed EOCO to expand its domestic investigation. Relevant court records and evidence from the American proceedings are expected to be transferred to Ghanaian authorities to support the probe.
A central part of the investigation will involve tracing funds and assets allegedly connected to the scheme. EOCO is expected to examine local bank accounts, financial transactions, real estate holdings and companies suspected of receiving or concealing proceeds from the payments.
The agency may also seek court orders to freeze identified assets to prevent their sale or transfer before the investigation is completed. Any property established to have been acquired with proceeds from the alleged bribery scheme could be targeted for recovery under Ghanaian law.
Investigators are also focusing on identifying Ghanaian officials and other individuals who allegedly benefited from the reported $4.5 million bribery pool.
Records from the US prosecution implicated a former minister of state, public officials and personnel connected to the Ministry of Power. However, the Ghanaian individuals allegedly involved must still be identified through the domestic investigation and subjected to the appropriate legal process.
The expanded probe is expected to rely heavily on international cooperation. Ghana’s Office of the Special Prosecutor and Attorney-General’s Department reportedly assisted US investigators by providing intelligence and evidence during the case against Berko.
That collaboration is now expected to operate in the opposite direction, with American authorities providing Ghanaian investigators with evidence presented during the nine-day federal trial.
US prosecutors alleged that Berko coordinated the bribery scheme between 2014 and 2017 to help a Turkish energy company secure a lucrative agreement to construct and operate a power plant in Ghana.
According to the prosecution, Berko concealed the payments from Goldman Sachs’ compliance systems by using a personal Gmail account and creating false invoices. The transactions were allegedly presented as legitimate consultancy expenses.
Prosecutors also presented covert recordings in which Berko reportedly admitted withdrawing and personally distributing approximately $1 million in cash to government officials.
The jury’s verdict established Berko’s criminal liability in the United States, but Ghanaian authorities must conduct separate investigations before pursuing charges against any alleged local participants.
Berko, 52, was remanded in custody after the court determined that he posed a flight risk. He faces a possible maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for November 10, 2026.
EOCO’s investigation could determine whether any of the alleged bribe recipients will face prosecution in Ghana and whether the state can recover money or property linked to the scheme.
The case is expected to become a major test of Ghana’s capacity to investigate cross-border corruption, pursue politically exposed individuals and recover proceeds concealed through complex financial arrangements.
Source: Omanghana
