A former banker in the United States, Asante Kwaku Berko, has been extradited from the UK to face charges related to his participation in a scheme to bribe Ghanaian officials to obtain and retain business transactions from the Republic of Ghana.
Mr Berko, 50, who is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Ghana, was alleged with others in a multi-year bribery and money laundering scheme.
The U.S. Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with the UK government, the National Central Bureau of INTERPOL, and the Marshals Service to secure the extradition of Mr Berko.
His extradition was made known on Tuesday by Nicole Argentieri, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, the head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York; and Executive Assistant Director Michael Nordwall of the FBI’s Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch.
In a court document dated December 2014 and March 2017, the U.S. former banker was accused of paying more than $70,000 in bribes to government officials in Ghana.
The bribe was said to be an exchange for assistance in ensuring that the Turkish energy company was successful in winning a bid to build and operate the power plant.
The FBI’s International Corruption Unit was already investigating the case against Mr Berko, an executive director in the investment banking division of a wholly owned subsidiary of a U.S. global investment banking, securities, and investment management firm.
The accused is currently charged with one count of conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), one count of violating the FCPA, and one count of conspiring to commit money laundering.
If convicted, Mr Berko would face a maximum penalty of 20 years for conspiring to commit money laundering.
He will also be slammed with another five years in prison for each count of violating the FCPA and conspiring to violate the FCPA.
Trial Attorney Elina A. Rubin-Smith of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alixandra Smith, Tara McGrath, and Jessica Weigel for the Eastern District of New York are prosecuting the case.
Mr Berko was a member of the team at the firm that was responsible for securing and managing a deal between its client, a Turkish energy company, and the Republic of Ghana to build a power plant in Ghana and to provide financing for the plant.
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