$5,000 each on a Türkiye trip: Berko’s bribery verdict in Aksa’s Ghana deal

The record

One power plant, three offences

On 6 August 2026, a federal jury in Brooklyn found Berko guilty of violating the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), conspiracy to violate that law and money-laundering conspiracy. The dual US-Ghanaian citizen had been an executive in Goldman Sachs’ investment-banking division. Ghana’s Office of the Special Prosecutor also identifies him as a former managing director of Tema Oil Refinery. [1] [2]

Thirty years is the announced statutory maximum, not a prison sentence already imposed. As of 31 October, the next decisive stage is sentencing following the guilty verdict. [1]

The $5,000 payments during the Türkiye visit

According to the Justice Department’s account of court documents and trial evidence, Berko began managing the power-plant project between Aksa and Ghana in December 2014. The country faced an electricity crisis, and the project required government approvals. The department says Berko and his co-conspirators agreed to bribe Ghanaian officials to secure those approvals. [1]

One concrete part concerned a visit to Türkiye. Five Ghanaian officials on an expenses-paid trip to inspect power-plant equipment reportedly received $5,000 each. Those five payments add up to $25,000; they are not the total value of all bribes in the case. [1]

$1 million and $2.5 million are different measures

The scheme involving more than $1 million in bribes described in the criminal case must be distinguished from the money flow alleged in the SEC’s 2020 civil complaint. The SEC alleged an arrangement to channel at least $2.5 million from the Turkish energy company to a Ghana-based intermediary for improper payments to officials. [1] [3]

Adding the figures together would produce a misleading new “total bribery” amount. Money intended for an intermediary, bribes described as paid and an amount discussed for a particular individual are different measures. The SEC release records allegations in a case filed in 2020; it does not, by itself, establish the full scope of the 2026 jury verdict. [3]

The former minister denies wrongdoing

The DOJ says the conspirators discussed paying $1 million to the then power minister in April 2015. That wording does not establish that the amount was delivered to the minister. [1]

Former minister Kwabena Donkor, through his lawyers, denied requesting or receiving money and said he had authorised no one to seek benefits on his behalf. The verdict against Berko is not a finding of guilt against Donkor or other people mentioned in public debate. [4]

The company connection and the unanswered questions

Both the US Justice Department and Ghana’s Special Prosecutor name Aksa. That confirms the project’s company connection; it does not extend Berko’s guilty verdict to the company. The official announcements reviewed do not announce an Aksa conviction. [1] [2]

Ghana’s Special Prosecutor says it provided investigative and evidentiary assistance to the FBI through the country’s mutual legal assistance framework. That does not mean the responsibility of every local participant has been adjudicated. [2]

The public-interest questions are concrete: what sentence will be imposed, what evidence will identify payment recipients, and how will the responsibility of people acting for the company be assessed individually? Court records and subsequent official announcements should provide the answers. No new statement from the parties was obtained for this article.