OSP helped FBI secure conviction of former oil refinery boss Asante Kwaku Berko
The Office of the Special Prosecutor says its cooperation with the FBI underscores the growing role of Ghanaian authorities in cross-border corruption investigations.
Ghana's anti-corruption agency says evidence it provided to US investigators helped secure the conviction of former Tema Oil Refinery managing director Asante Kwaku Berko in a $1m bribery case.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) in a statement on Monday said it provided investigative and evidentiary material to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through Ghana's mutual legal assistance framework.
The OSP said the assistance was acknowledged by the US Department of Justice as having made a significant contribution to the prosecution.
“The involvement of the OSP has been acknowledged by the United States Department of Justice as providing ‘significant assistance to this prosecution’,” the agency said on Monday.
$1m bribery scheme
A federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, found Mr Berko guilty on August 6 of charges linked to a scheme to pay more than $1m in bribes to Ghanaian government officials between 2014 and 2015.
The case centred on allegations that Mr Berko, who was previously chief executive of Tema Oil Refinery, was involved in paying bribes to influence government officials in connection with business interests in Ghana.
The conviction followed an investigation involving US authorities and Ghanaian law enforcement agencies.
The OSP said its assistance demonstrates the importance of international cooperation in investigating corruption cases involving cross-border financial transactions and public officials.
It did not immediately disclose the specific evidence or investigative material it provided to the FBI.
The conviction is the latest development in a case that has attracted significant attention in Ghana and the US because of the alleged involvement of senior officials and the value of the payments.
Read the full statement below: