Former Minister of Power Dr. Kwabena Donkor has strongly denied any involvement in the alleged bribery scheme surrounding the development of a power plant in Ghana involving Turkish energy company Aksa Enerji Uretim A.S.
His comments follow the conviction of former Goldman Sachs investment banker and former Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) Managing Director Kwaku Asante Berko by a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, on charges linked to foreign bribery and money laundering involving Ghanaian public officials.
Berko, 52, a dual citizen of Ghana and the United States, was convicted on all counts following a nine-day trial before U.S. District Judge Diane Gujarati.
The conviction has prompted renewed questions about the alleged recipients of the bribes, with some attention turning to officials who were involved in Ghana’s power sector at the time.
However, in a statement copied to Accra New Online, Dr. Donkor categorically denied having any dealings with Berko or receiving any payment from him in connection with the Aksa transaction.
“To start with, there was no bidding for any official or Minister to be bribed to win a bid. Secondly, I never dealt with the said individual. He was not even the known Agent or Local Partner of Aksa in Ghana,” he said.
No involvement in Turkey negotiations
Dr. Donkor also denied travelling to Turkey as part of any negotiations or equipment inspection relating to the project.
He said he was not part of the team sent to Turkey to inspect equipment, adding that such inspections were routine in the power industry.
“Sending an inspection team to go and inspect the equipment before shipping is routine in the industry,” he said.
According to the former minister, negotiations were conducted between Aksa’s representatives and a government negotiating team comprising officials from the Ministry of Power, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), the Attorney-General’s Department and GRIDCo, among others.
“I never went to Turkey for any negotiation. Their representatives negotiated with the Government Negotiating Team at the time,” he stated.
‘No payment was made to me’
Dr. Donkor further defended the Aksa agreement, arguing that the tariff negotiated for the project compared favourably with other emergency power plants and some existing thermal plants.
“The tariff they negotiated at the time was the cheapest of all the Emergency Power Plants and cheaper than some of the existing thermal plants, and so I had no reason not to be satisfied with the work the negotiating team and my officials did,” he said.
He was emphatic in denying that he benefited financially from the transaction.
“No payment was made to me or received in my name,” Dr. Donkor stated.
Questions timing of alleged payments
Dr. Donkor also urged the public to carefully examine the judgment, particularly the dates on which prosecutors alleged payments were made.
He identified three payments cited in the case: an alleged US$1 million payment on September 8, 2016; an alleged US$1.5 million payment in September 2016; and an alleged US$500,000 payment on February 14, 2017.
He argued that the timing of those payments was significant because, according to him, he had already left office before they were allegedly made.
“Most importantly, I resigned as Minister of Power in January 2016,” he said.
He also questioned how Berko came to be appointed Managing Director of TOR after the New Patriotic Party (NPP) assumed power in 2017.
“How did the said individual, suddenly after NDC lost power, become the Managing Director of TOR?” Dr. Donkor asked.
AG working with US authorities
Meanwhile, Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Dr. Justice Srem-Sai has disclosed that Ghanaian authorities are working with their United States counterparts to pursue other persons allegedly implicated in the bribery scheme.
In a social media post, Dr. Srem-Sai said the Attorney-General was collaborating with US authorities “to bring to book persons who are implicated in the bribery scheme” relating to the 2014–2017 power plant development contract between Aksa Enerji Uretim A.S. and the Government of Ghana.
US prosecutors’ case against Berko
According to US prosecutors, Berko conspired to pay more than US$1 million in bribes to Ghanaian government officials to secure the development and financing of a power plant in Ghana for Aksa Enerji Uretim A.S., a client of Goldman Sachs.
Prosecutors said the alleged scheme occurred between 2014 and 2017, during Ghana’s energy crisis, and involved discussions about payments to senior government officials and Members of Parliament involved in the approval of the project.
US authorities further alleged that Berko concealed the payments through shell companies, sham invoices, nominee accounts and cash withdrawals, while misleading Goldman Sachs’ compliance team about aspects of the transaction.
Goldman Sachs subsequently withdrew from the transaction over corruption concerns.
Berko faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison following his conviction and has been remanded in custody pending sentencing.
US authorities have described the conviction as evidence of their commitment to prosecuting individuals who use American financial institutions and businesses to facilitate corruption overseas.
Dr. Donkor’s statement, however, maintains that he had no dealings with Berko, received no payment in connection with the Aksa agreement and had already left office before the payments identified in the judgment were allegedly made.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
