K.T. Hammond, lawyer for former Power Minister Dr Kwabena Donkor, defended a Ghanaian technical team's trip to Istanbul to inspect equipment for the Aksa Energy power deal as standard technical due diligence required before major power-generation equipment is shipped to Ghana. The comments come amid renewed scrutiny following the U.S. conviction of former Tema Oil Refinery Managing Director Asante Kwaku Berko for his role in a bribery scheme involving Ghanaian officials and the power plant deal.
10 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Dr Kwabena Donkor has denied ever meeting convicted former Goldman Sachs banker Asante Berko or demanding or receiving money connected to the controversial Aksa Energy power deal. Berko was convicted in August 2026 of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and paying over US$1 million in bribes to multiple Ghanaian officials between 2014 and 2015.
10 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Former Power Minister Dr Kwabena Donkor has denied involvement in bribery allegations surrounding former Goldman Sachs banker Asante Kwaku Berko, stating he has never met Berko, demanded money from him, or received any personal benefit connected with a power deal. His lawyers said he has "absolutely no knowledge" of the allegations and had "completely and emphatically" denied any knowledge of a request or demand for money.
10 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Dr Kwabena Donkor, former Minister of Power, has categorically denied receiving any money from Asante Kwaku Berko, a former Goldman Sachs banker convicted in a U.S. bribery case involving allegations of bribing Ghanaian officials over a power plant project. According to social activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor, Donkor welcomed an investigation and expressed confidence it would clear his name.
10 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Court documents in a bribery case involving former Goldman Sachs banker Asante Kwaku Berko show payments allegedly made to Ghanaian officials to facilitate a power project, including a $500,000 transfer in April 2015 and a $1.5 million transfer in May 2015 on the day a senior official signed the deal. An August 2015 email provides an itemised breakdown showing alleged payments to various entities including Parliament ($30,000), PURC ($20,000), GRIDCo engineers ($20,000), and the Ministry of Power ($20,000).
10 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Ghana's Attorney-General announced plans to investigate persons implicated in a bribery scheme involving a Turkish energy company and a power plant project, following the conviction of former Goldman Sachs banker Asante Kwaku Berko by a U.S. federal jury on charges including conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and money laundering.
10 August 2026 · The Chronicle →
A federal jury in Brooklyn convicted Ghanaian-American banker Asante Kwaku Berko of a bribery scheme in which he and co-conspirators paid or conspired to pay more than US$1 million in bribes to Ghanaian government officials to help Turkish energy company Aksa Enerji secure a power plant contract during Ghana's 2014–2017 energy crisis.
10 August 2026 · The Chronicle →
Oil prices rose Monday as Iran said a deal with Oman on new shipping lanes was in final stages but insisted the U.S. must meet other conditions before the Strait of Hormuz reopens. Brent crude rose to $84.46 a barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate to $78.79, with both benchmarks recovering from last week's 7% decline that followed hopes for a deal.
10 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Hundreds of passengers flying out of Birmingham Airport were left without their luggage on Friday, with flights to Gran Canaria, Turkey, Cyprus, Glasgow, and Rome affected across multiple airlines. While the airport said the "vast majority" of baggage was now travelling as planned, some travellers reported receiving no communication and having their holidays "completely overshadowed" by the disruption.
10 August 2026 · Joy Online →