Former Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) Managing Director Asante Kwaku Berko faces up to 30 years in prison following his conviction by a federal jury in the United States over a bribery and money laundering scheme linked to a power plant project in Ghana.

Mr Berko, a dual US-Ghanaian citizen and former Goldman Sachs executive, was convicted in Brooklyn on August 6, 2026, on all counts in the indictment, following a nine-day trial before US District Judge Diane Gujarati at the Eastern District of New York.

The case centred on allegations that Mr Berko and others conspired to pay more than US$1 million in bribes to Ghanaian government officials to help secure a multimillion-dollar power plant deal for Turkish energy company Aksa Enerji Uretim A.S. The US prosecution accused him of using the American financial system to facilitate the movement of illicit payments connected to the deal.

Mr Berko was convicted of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), violating the FCPA and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

He has been remanded in custody pending sentencing, which is scheduled for November 10. The maximum penalties attached to the charges could result in a combined sentence of up to 30 years in prison.

The case centres on a power plant deal that was under development and financing between December 2014 and July 2015. Mr Berko, who was an executive director in the investment banking division of Goldman Sachs at the time, was involved in managing the transaction between the bank's client, Aksa Enerji, and the Republic of Ghana.

He was extradited to the United States in July 2024, after living in the United Kingdom and being arrested in November 2022 following an Interpol Red Notice.

The conviction brings to an end a case that has been before US authorities for years and could result in a significant prison term for the former TOR boss.