Former power minister Kwabena Donkor denies receiving $1m from Berko - Vormawor

Former Ghanaian Power Minister Kwabena Donkor has denied receiving money from former Goldman Sachs banker Asante Kwaku Berko, whose conviction in a US bribery case has prompted calls for an investigation in Ghana.

Dr Donkor also denies ever interacting with Mr Berko, according to lawyer and social activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor.

Mr Barker-Vormawor said he spoke to the former minister by telephone on Sunday about the case and the media attention surrounding it.

According to Mr Barker-Vormawor, Dr Donkor said he would not have betrayed Ghana by accepting a bribe.

He said the former minister welcomed plans for a Ghanaian investigation into the case and believed it would clear his name.

Dr Donkor also told him that his lawyers had advised him not to comment publicly for now, but that they would issue a statement on the matter.

What the US case says

A federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, found Mr Berko guilty on August 6 of charges relating to a scheme to pay more than $1m in bribes to Ghanaian government officials between 2014 and 2015.

Mr Berko, a former managing director of Tema Oil Refinery, was convicted of conspiring to pay bribes and paying bribes.

In a statement following the conviction, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said:

“In April 2015, Berko and the conspirators discussed paying $1 million to the Minister of Power who was responsible for securing key approvals enabling the project to progress.”

The FBI statement did not say that the $1m was ultimately paid to the minister.

It did, however, say that bribes were paid to five Ghanaian officials during an all-expenses-paid trip to Turkey to inspect equipment for a power plant, with each official receiving $5,000.

Mr Barker-Vormawor said the distinction was important, while stressing that the FBI's public statement should not be treated as a substitute for the full evidence presented in court.

Ghana investigation

The case has triggered calls for investigations into what happened in Ghana.

Ghana's Attorney-General, Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine has said the authorities will work with US partners to investigate the Ghanaian side of the matter.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has also confirmed that it provided investigative and evidentiary assistance to US authorities through Ghana's mutual legal assistance framework.

The US Department of Justice has acknowledged the Ghanaian agency's contribution as providing “significant assistance” to the prosecution.

The OSP has not indicated why no comparable action had previously been taken in Ghana over the allegations.

Mr Barker-Vormawor said the matter should not be allowed to fade away without a proper investigation.

He said the Ghanaian authorities should establish what happened, who was involved and whether any offences were committed.

Dr Donkor served as Ghana's Minister of Power from 2015 to 2017.

He has not been accused by a US court of receiving the alleged $1m payment, and he has categorically denied

receiving money from Mr Berko.

Any Ghanaian investigation would have to establish whether the minister referred to in the US case was Dr Donkor and whether any payment was actually made.

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