Asante Kwaku Berko, a former Managing Director of Ghana’s Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), who was arrested on charges of orchestrating bribes to Ghanaian officials while employed at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., has been extradited to the United States from the United Kingdom to face charges.

Mr. Berko, a dual citizen of the United States and Ghana, will be arraigned in federal court in Brooklyn today before Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom on an indictment charging him with violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and money laundering. He is accused of bribing Ghanaian government officials to secure a power plant deal and laundering the payments through the U.S. financial system.

On Monday, 15th July, Mr. Berko was extradited to the Eastern District of New York from the United Kingdom where he was arrested on 3rd November 2022, pursuant to an Interpol Diffusion Notice.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Nicole M. Argentieri, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Head of the Criminal Division, and Christie M. Curtis, Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New York Field Office (FBI), announced the extradition.

"As alleged, the defendant bribed Ghanaian government officials to secure a lucrative development contract relying on the U.S. banking system to execute his scheme," stated United States Attorney Peace. "My Office is committed to rooting out bribery and other criminal practices that create inequities in the playing field for business both here and abroad and exploit the U.S. banking system."