A former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. banker has been convicted of his role in a bribery scheme that involved paying more than $1 million to Ghanaian government officials to secure approval for a lucrative power plant project.
Asante Kwaku Berko, a dual U.S.-Ghanaian citizen, was found guilty by a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York.
According to prosecutors, Berko and his associates paid bribes to senior Ghanaian officials about a decade ago to secure government backing for the development and financing of the multimillion-dollar power plant. Prosecutors said the scheme was carried out independently of Goldman Sachs.
The verdict followed a nine-day trial before United States District Judge Diane Gujarati. When sentenced, Berko faces up to 30 years in prison. Berko was ordered remanded pending sentencing.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, A. Tysen Duva, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office, announced the verdict.
