The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has named former Power Minister Kwabena Donkor and four other individuals as its main persons of interest in its investigation into the Ghanaian dimension of the Asante Kweku Berko bribery case.
The other named individuals are Francis Walkson Kwesi Gyata, a former technical adviser to the Minister of Power; Solomon Adjetey Sowah, a former deputy director at the Ministry of Power; Lindin George Nii Mettle, a former director at Tricop Group Limited; and Baffour Ankomah Brobbey, an employee of Tricop Group Limited.
Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng disclosed this at a press conference while providing an update on the OSP’s investigation into the case.
The development follows the conviction of Asante Kweku Berko by a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, on August 3, 2026, over a bribery scheme involving more than US$1 million.
Berko, a dual citizen of Ghana and the United States and a former managing director of the Tema Oil Refinery, was convicted over allegations that he conspired to pay bribes to multiple Ghanaian officials between 2014 and 2015.
The alleged payments were linked to the development and financing of a 370-megawatt fuel oil plant in Tema under an agreement involving the Republic of Ghana, Turkish energy company AXA Energy Eratim and Goldman Sachs.
Mr Agyebeng said the OSP provided investigative and evidentiary assistance to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through Ghana’s mutual legal assistance framework.
He said the US Department of Justice had acknowledged the OSP’s assistance in the successful prosecution.
OSP cautions against equating ‘person of interest’ with suspect
The Special Prosecutor stressed that the five individuals named should not automatically be considered suspects.
“Please bear in mind and this point should be strongly emphasised: that the person of interest is not necessarily a suspect,” he said.
He explained that the two classifications have different meanings in an investigation and should not be treated as interchangeable.
Mr Agyebeng further cautioned that being identified as a person of interest does not amount to a finding of criminal liability.
“Identification in either category does not constitute criminal culpability or conviction until guilt is proved beyond reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a court of competent jurisdiction,” he said.
He said other persons of interest include some present and former employees of the Volta River Authority, Ghana Grid Company Limited, Electricity Company of Ghana, Public Utilities Regulatory Commission and some staff of the former Ministry of Power.
The OSP said its investigation into the Ghanaian dimension remains ongoing.
Mr Agyebeng explained that Berko’s conviction in the United States does not automatically provide grounds for prosecuting other individuals in Ghana.
He said each person’s conduct must be assessed under Ghanaian law and supported by lawfully obtained evidence capable of sustaining a prosecution.
“The OSP will not prosecute the person solely on the basis that the person’s name appears in proceedings conducted in another country,” he said.
He added, however, that the OSP would prosecute any person where the evidence establishes a proper basis for doing so.
