The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has named former Power Minister Kwabena Donkor and four other individuals as the main persons of interest in its investigation into the Ghanaian dimension of the AKSA power deal and the bribery case involving Asante Kwaku Berko.
Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng announced the names on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, during a press briefing in Accra, saying the OSP has been investigating the Ghanaian side of the matter despite its previous public silence on the case.
The five persons identified by the OSP are:
- Kwabena Donkor – former Minister of Power
- Francis Walkson Kwesi Dzata – former Technical Advisor to the Minister of Power
- Solomon Adjetey Sowah – former Deputy Director at the Ministry of Power
- Lyndon George Nii Saul Mettle – former Director at Tricorp Group Limited
- Baffour Ankoma Brobbey – former employee of Tricorp Group Limited
OSP stresses that persons of interest are not necessarily suspects
Mr Agyebeng cautioned against interpreting the designation as an allegation of guilt.
According to the Special Prosecutor, being identified as a person of interest does not automatically make an individual a suspect, as the two are distinct investigative classifications.
He further stressed that being named in the investigation does not amount to a finding of criminal culpability or a conviction. Any prosecution in Ghana, he said, must be based on evidence obtained lawfully and assessed under Ghanaian law.
The clarification is particularly significant because the development follows the conviction of Asante Kwaku Berko in the United States over a bribery scheme connected to the development and financing of a power plant in Ghana.
Other energy sector officials under investigation
The OSP says its investigation extends beyond the five main persons publicly identified.
According to Mr Agyebeng, other persons of interest include some current and former employees of the Volta River Authority (VRA), Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo), Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) and officials who worked with the former Ministry of Power.
The Special Prosecutor indicated that the investigation will continue to determine the individual roles of persons connected to the Ghanaian side of the transaction.
Investigation linked to Asante Berko conviction
The OSP’s announcement comes weeks after a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, convicted Asante Kwaku Berko on August 6, 2026, over his involvement in a bribery scheme involving more than US$1 million.
Berko, a Ghanaian-American and former Managing Director of Tema Oil Refinery, was accused of conspiring to pay and paying bribes to Ghanaian officials between 2014 and 2015.
The payments were linked to the development and financing of a 370-megawatt fuel oil power plant in Tema under an arrangement involving the Government of Ghana, Turkish energy company Aksa Enerji Uretim A.S., and Goldman Sachs.
Berko was previously an executive in Goldman Sachs’ investment banking division before becoming Managing Director of Tema Oil Refinery.
OSP says it assisted FBI investigation
Mr Agyebeng also disclosed that the OSP provided investigative and evidentiary assistance to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through Ghana’s established mutual legal assistance framework.
He said the United States Department of Justice acknowledged the OSP’s assistance as significant to the prosecution.
However, the Special Prosecutor stressed that Berko’s conviction in the United States does not, by itself, establish criminal liability for any individual in Ghana.
The OSP must independently assess the conduct of each person under Ghanaian law and determine whether the available evidence provides a basis for prosecution.
OSP to determine whether prosecution is warranted
The latest development places the Ghanaian dimension of the AKSA deal under renewed scrutiny, particularly as investigators examine the roles of officials and private-sector actors associated with the project.
Mr Agyebeng maintained that the OSP would rely on evidence gathered through its own investigation before deciding whether any individual should face prosecution in Ghana.
For now, the five individuals named remain persons of interest and not convicted persons or necessarily suspects, pending the outcome of the investigation and any subsequent legal proceedings.
