Asante Kwaku Berko, a dual citizen of the United States and Ghana, has been deported from the United Kingdom to face charges in the Eastern District of New York for allegedly participating in a bribery scheme involving Ghanaian officials.
Berko, 50, formerly an executive director in the Investment Banking Division of a U.S. global investment firm, is accused of conspiring with others between December 2014 and March 2017. The scheme allegedly aimed to secure and manage a deal between a Turkish energy company and the Republic of Ghana to build a power plant and provide financing for the project.
Court documents allege that Berko and his associates paid over $70,000 in bribes to Ghanaian officials to ensure the Turkish company’s success in winning the bid and subsequent operations related to the power plant project.
Berko faces charges including conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), substantive FCPA violations, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, he could receive up to 20 years in prison for the money laundering charge and five years for each FCPA-related offence.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York, and Executive Assistant Director Michael Nordwall of the FBI’s Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch announced Berko’s extradition and charges.
The FBI’s International Corruption Unit is leading the investigation, with Trial Attorney Elina A. Rubin-Smith from the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alixandra Smith, Tara McGrath, and Jessica Weigel from the Eastern District of New York prosecuting the case.
Berko’s extradition was facilitated through collaboration between the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the Government of the United Kingdom, the U.K. National Central Bureau of INTERPOL, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
For more information on the Justice Department’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement efforts, visit www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.
This case underscores ongoing efforts to combat international corruption and uphold legal standards in business dealings involving U.S. entities abroad.
