Berko’s US conviction does not automatically establish Ghana bribery claims – OSP

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has warned against assuming that Asante Kwaku Berko's US conviction automatically establishes bribery allegations involving individuals in Ghana. OSP Director of Strategy, Research and Communications Samuel Appiah Darko said while the US conviction provides useful information for the Ghanaian investigation, the evidence must still be carefully assessed against Ghana's legal requirements.

According to Mr. Appiah Darko, who spoke on Joy FM’s Top Story, Berko was convicted primarily on emails, a ledger he allegedly kept, and testimony from a witness assisted by the OSP. He stated that the US court did not independently prove the alleged payments, such as those to Evans Mensah of Joy, within the US legal system. Mr. Appiah Darko emphasized that in Ghana, proving the actual transfer of money to the alleged recipients is necessary.

He described the OSP's approach as a diligent investigation aimed at gathering direct evidence before making any conclusions against the persons of interest. This comes after the OSP named former Power Minister Kwabena Donkor and four others as persons of interest in its investigation into the Ghanaian aspect of the Berko bribery case.