A former Goldman Sachs banker is taking center stage in a Brooklyn federal courtroom this week, accused of helping turn a Ghana power-plant deal into what one participant allegedly called a “holy rain” of bribes worth more than $1 million. Prosecutors say Asante Berko and his associates greased the wheels for a power project by paying high-ranking Ghanaian officials, then funneled the money through the U.S. financial system. The alleged conduct unfolded overseas, but the government says New York banks and communications pulled the case squarely into Brooklyn’s jurisdiction.
In opening statements Monday, federal prosecutor Katherine Raut told a Brooklyn jury that Berko and his associates paid more than $1 million to Ghanaian officials, according to Bloomberg. Prosecutors say those payments helped win approval for a multimillion-dollar power plant backed by a Turkish energy company, while also setting up potential business for Goldman and financial rewards for Berko himself.
The U.S. Department of Justice says Berko was a dual U.S.-Ghanaian citizen and a former executive at a Goldman subsidiary when he worked on the deal. In a 2024 announcement, the Eastern District of New York said the alleged scheme involved bribes to officials who could greenlight the power agreement, including figures tied to Ghana’s Ministry of Power, Parliament and state-owned utilities.
A separate civil case brought earlier by regulators painted an even wider money trail. The Securities and Exchange Commission alleged that Berko helped arrange millions of dollars in payments through an intermediary company, including funds that were later sent directly to him after he left the bank.
Emails, Turkey Trips And Consultancy Invoices
According to the criminal indictment, five Ghanaian officials traveled to Turkey in 2015 to inspect equipment for the proposed power plant, with their travel expenses covered and each official allegedly handed a $5,000 payment. The indictment also says the participants used consulting invoices as a pretext to reimburse bribes and pushed transfers through correspondent banks in New York.
Court papers describe the underlying power project as financially significant for Wall Street. Goldman expected to line up about $190 million in financing for the Turkish energy company, along with a roughly $75 million letter of credit linked to Ghana’s role in the plant, a package that could have generated millions of dollars in fees for the bank.
Why The International Case Is Being Tried In Brooklyn
The trial’s Brooklyn address is not just a matter of convenience in a case involving Ghana, Turkey and a former London-based banker. The SEC complaint says Berko used U.S.-based email systems, passed through airports in the Eastern District of New York and understood that money would move through New York banks before landing in Ghana.
Berko was first charged in 2020, arrested in London in 2022 and extradited to the United States in 2024. Late last year, a federal judge rejected his attempt to get the case tossed, ruling that prosecutors had made reasonably diligent efforts to track him down and arrest him, as reported by Bloomberg Law.
Berko Faces Multiple Federal Counts
After arriving in the United States, Berko pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to Law360. He is facing six counts, including conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, violating that anti-bribery law, conspiring to launder money and failing to report foreign bank accounts.
For now, the allegations remain just that. Berko is presumed innocent unless and until he is convicted. The Justice Department says a conviction could bring a maximum sentence of 20 years on the money-laundering conspiracy charge and up to five years for each FCPA-related count.
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