Martin Amidu Reveals Details of OSP Investigation into AKSA Bribery Scandal

Date: August 11, 2026
By: Ebenezer Adugyamfi/ Emmanuel Ayiku for GhanaianNewsCanada

Former Special Prosecutor Martin A.B.K. Amidu has provided fresh details about the Office of the Special Prosecutor’s (OSP) investigation into the controversial AKSA power project bribery allegations, raising questions about what happened to Ghana’s domestic investigation into the case.

Amidu’s comments come against the backdrop of the recent conviction of former Goldman Sachs banker and former Tema Oil Refinery Managing Director Asante Kwaku Berko in the United States over his role in a bribery scheme involving Ghanaian government officials.

The development has renewed scrutiny of the Ghanaian side of the case, particularly allegations that public officials were offered or received improper payments in connection with a power purchase agreement involving Turkish energy company Aksa Enerji.

According to Amidu, the OSP began investigating the matter in 2020 after details of the allegations emerged from proceedings in the United States. He has now questioned why Ghana has not similarly brought the local individuals and entities allegedly involved before the courts.

How the AKSA controversy began

The controversy dates back to Ghana’s electricity crisis between 2014 and 2016, when the country was experiencing severe power shortages commonly referred to as “Dumsor.”

The government at the time was pursuing additional electricity generation capacity as part of efforts to address the crisis.

It was against this background that negotiations surrounding a power plant project involving Aksa Enerji attracted attention.

The United States later alleged that Berko had participated in a scheme to bribe Ghanaian officials to help the Turkish energy company secure a power purchase agreement with the Government of Ghana.

The allegations became public in 2020 when the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission initiated civil proceedings against Berko.

The case subsequently developed into a criminal prosecution in the United States, culminating in Berko’s conviction in August 2026.

What Martin Amidu says the OSP did

Amidu, who served as Ghana’s first Special Prosecutor, says the OSP did not ignore the allegations.

According to his account, the office took an interest in the matter after the U.S. authorities’ proceedings became public in April 2020.

He has indicated that the OSP commenced its own investigation into the Ghanaian dimension of the allegations.

The former Special Prosecutor is now questioning what became of that investigation and why the Ghanaian side has not resulted in comparable prosecutions.

His criticism comes at a politically sensitive moment because the alleged bribery occurred during the administration of former President John Dramani Mahama, who was in office from 2013 to January 2017.

Amidu questions the government’s response

Amidu has been particularly critical of the current government’s response following Berko’s conviction.

In a commentary published on August 11, he questioned why the Ghanaian government appeared to be announcing renewed collaboration with U.S. authorities only after the American court had secured a conviction.

He argued that Ghana should have been pursuing the local aspects of the matter independently rather than waiting for the conclusion of the U.S. prosecution.

Amidu has described it as problematic for Ghana to appear to be waiting for the United States to establish wrongdoing before pursuing Ghanaian individuals who may have been involved.

He has also questioned the Attorney-General’s approach to the matter and accused the government of allowing political considerations to influence prosecutorial decisions. These are Amidu’s criticisms and characterisations, rather than established findings against the government.

The U.S. case against Asante Berko

The international dimension of the scandal centres on Asante Kwaku Berko.

U.S. authorities alleged that, while working at Goldman Sachs, Berko participated in efforts to arrange bribes for Ghanaian government officials to facilitate the power project.

The allegations concerned events between approximately 2015 and 2016.

Following his trial in the United States, Berko was convicted on corruption-related charges.

His conviction has given the longstanding allegations renewed significance in Ghana because the U.S. proceedings referred to payments allegedly made to Ghanaian officials.

However, the conviction of Berko does not automatically establish criminal liability against every Ghanaian person who may have been mentioned or alleged to have been involved.

Any Ghanaian individual suspected of wrongdoing would still have to be investigated and, where appropriate, prosecuted through Ghana’s own legal system.

Why the OSP investigation matters

The OSP’s involvement is significant because the office was specifically established to investigate and prosecute corruption and corruption-related offences involving public officials.

Amidu’s latest comments suggest that the OSP had already begun examining the AKSA allegations years before the recent U.S. conviction.

The central question now is what evidence was gathered, what conclusions were reached and whether the investigation was completed or transferred to another institution.

Those questions are particularly important because the alleged conduct involves a major public-sector electricity project and potentially significant financial consequences for the Ghanaian state.

Ghana’s electricity crisis provides the wider context

The AKSA controversy cannot be separated from Ghana’s electricity crisis during the period in question.

The country was struggling with persistent power shortages that affected homes, businesses and industries.

The government therefore faced intense pressure to secure additional generation capacity.

Emergency power agreements became an important part of the response.

However, the urgency surrounding the electricity crisis also meant that major contracts and power projects attracted intense public scrutiny.

The AKSA agreement has subsequently become one of the projects examined through the lens of corruption allegations.

The OSP and U.S. authorities

The recent case has also highlighted cooperation between Ghanaian and American authorities.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor under its current leadership has acknowledged assisting U.S. investigators in the Berko matter.

The assistance demonstrates that Ghanaian and U.S. authorities have worked together on aspects of the investigation.

However, Amidu’s criticism is focused on what he considers the failure to pursue the Ghanaian side of the case with the same urgency.

He argues that Ghana should not merely assist foreign investigators but should independently investigate and prosecute any offences committed within Ghanaian jurisdiction.

Questions over unnamed Ghanaian officials

One of the most sensitive aspects of the case remains the identity and possible involvement of Ghanaian officials allegedly connected to the bribery scheme.

U.S. proceedings have referred to Ghanaian government officials in connection with the alleged payments.

But references to unnamed officials do not by themselves establish the identity or criminal responsibility of any particular person.

This distinction is especially important because public speculation has already led to individuals being linked to the case without necessarily being charged or convicted.

Any future prosecution in Ghana would therefore need to be based on evidence that satisfies the requirements of Ghanaian law.

Amidu’s concerns about prosecutorial independence

Amidu has also used the controversy to raise broader concerns about prosecutorial independence.

He has criticised what he sees as political considerations influencing the government’s handling of corruption cases.

In his latest commentary, he questioned whether the Attorney-General’s office is approaching the matter impartially and argued that corruption investigations should not depend on which political party was in power when the alleged offence occurred.

These criticisms reflect Amidu’s longstanding position that Ghana’s anti-corruption institutions must be able to operate independently of political interests.

The government, however, would have the opportunity to respond to his allegations and explain the current status of any Ghanaian investigation.

What happens to the OSP’s findings?

One of the biggest unanswered questions arising from Amidu’s intervention is whether the original OSP investigation produced a final report.

If such a report exists, its contents could potentially provide important information about the evidence gathered by Ghanaian investigators.

It could also clarify whether specific individuals were identified, whether any offences were established and whether the matter was referred to another state institution.

Amidu’s call for greater transparency is therefore likely to increase pressure on the authorities to explain what happened to the investigation.

A case with major political implications

The AKSA controversy is also politically sensitive because the alleged bribery occurred under the Mahama administration.

The current government is led by President Mahama, creating an unusual situation in which allegations relating to decisions taken during his previous administration are now being examined while his party is back in power.

That makes the handling of the investigation particularly important.

Any prosecution must be based on evidence and law rather than political considerations, regardless of the political affiliation of individuals who may be implicated.

What the latest developments mean for Ghana

The Berko conviction in the United States has effectively revived a case that had largely faded from the centre of Ghana’s public conversation.

Amidu’s intervention has added another layer by revealing his account of the OSP’s earlier involvement and challenging the current government’s handling of the matter.

The controversy now raises three major questions for Ghana:

What did the original OSP investigation establish?

What happened to the evidence and investigation after Amidu left office?

And will Ghana independently investigate and, where justified, prosecute any public officials found to have participated in the alleged bribery scheme?

Those questions remain unanswered publicly.

The road ahead

The AKSA case is now likely to remain under intense scrutiny as Ghanaian authorities face growing demands for clarity.

For anti-corruption advocates, the issue is bigger than one former banker or one power project. It concerns whether Ghana is capable of holding its own officials accountable when corruption allegations involve international businesses and foreign jurisdictions.

For the government, the challenge will be to demonstrate that any investigation is conducted impartially and without political interference.

And for the public, the central concern is whether allegations involving a major national infrastructure project will ultimately lead to accountability.

For now, Martin Amidu’s revelations have reopened the debate over the OSP’s role in the AKSA investigation and placed renewed pressure on Ghanaian authorities to explain what happened to the domestic case.

The recent U.S. conviction may have closed one chapter of the AKSA bribery saga, but in Ghana, many questions about the local side of the case remain open.