Ghana: Ex-TOR MD Bribery Allegation: We’ll Cooperate With U.S Authorities –Aksa Energy

AKSA Enerji, a Turkish independent power producer, says it is ready to cooperate with the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) and other relevant authorities in the United States of America (USA) in their quest to establish the truth or otherwise of the bribery allegation against Mr Asante K. Berko, a former executive of Goldman Sachs.

Although the company said it is not directly involved in the ongoing proceedings at the U.S District Court Eastern District of New York, it said it is ready to cooperate to bring a speedy resolution of the case.

“The requested information and documentation has been shared with the relevant authorities in 2017. Our Company is ready to cooperate with the relevant U.S authorities and share all documents and information as before to help the investigation and bring the case to a speedy conclusion,” Cengiz Dalkilic, Corporate Partner at Aksa Enerji said in an email response to energynewsafrica.com.

Aksa Energji, in 2015, began processes to build a power plant in the Republic of Ghana during the erstwhile John Mahama-led National Democratic Congress administration.

However, Mr Asante K. Berko, a former executive staff of Goldman Sachs and immediate past Managing Director of Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), who facilitated financial deal for Aksa Enerji, is being accused of paying bribes to Ghanaian officials including Members of Parliament, to secure a power project for Aksa Enerji.

Aksa currently operates 370MW power plant in Kpone, a suburb of Tema, in the Greater Accra Region.

The action of Mr Asante Berko is said to be in sharp contrast with US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977.

“From approximately 2015 through at least 2016 (the “relevant period”), while employed at the Subsidiary [Goldman Sachs Group Inc], Berko schemed to bribe various government officials in the Republic of Ghana (“Ghana”) so that a client of the subsidiary, a Turkish Energy Company (the “Energy Company”), would win a contract (the “Power Purchase Agreement”) to build and operate an electrical power plant in Ghana and sell the power to the Ghanaian government (the “Power Plant Project” or “Project”),” a portion of a 37-page court document said.

Mr Berko reportedly arranged for the energy company to funnel between $3 million to $4.5 million to a Ghana-based intermediary company “to bribe various government officials responsible for approving the Power Plant Project.”

The energy company is said to have transferred, at least, $2.5 million of the planned $3 million to $4.5 million to the intermediary company.

Source: www.energynewsafrica.com