When a foreign court convicts one of its own, a nation is forced to look inward. Ghana now faces that reckoning, as the US conviction of former Goldman Sachs banker Kwaku Asante Berko has cast a long shadow over officials who may have accepted bribes to approve an energy project during a previous administration. Deputy Attorney General Dr Justice Srem-Sai stepped forward this week to assure a skeptical public that President Mahama will not shelter former allies from prosecution — a pledge that is as much a statement of political character as it is of legal intent. The true measure of that prom
Ghana's Deputy AG assures no political shielding in AKSA bribery probe
The law will proceed regardless of who is involved
Mark
Why does the Deputy Attorney General need to make this promise at all? Doesn't the law speak for itself?
Mimi
Because in Ghana, as in many places, people have learned not to trust that it does. When a former official is implicated in something like this, the first question people ask is whether connections will protect them. Srem-Sai is trying to short-circuit that doubt.
Mark
But he's essentially saying the President won't interfere. Isn't that a low bar?
Mimi
It is. But it's also the bar that matters most in a moment like this. If people believe the President will use his power to shield allies, no investigation goes anywhere. The whole thing becomes theater.
Mark
What happens if someone high-ranking actually gets implicated?
Mimi
That's the real test. Right now Srem-Sai is making a promise on behalf of the government. But promises are easy. The hard part comes when a name surfaces and the pressure to protect that person becomes real.
Mark
Do you think he believes what he's saying?
Mimi
I think he does. He speaks as someone who knows Mahama, who's worked for him. But belief and political reality are different things. He's betting that the President will choose accountability over loyalty.
Mark
What does Berko's conviction change?
Mimi
It changes everything and nothing. It proves the scheme was real, that money moved, that someone benefited. But it doesn't tell us who in Ghana received it or whether they'll face consequences. That's what everyone is waiting to see.
Der Puls
- A US court's conviction of a former Ghanaian banker has cracked open a corruption case that Ghana's own institutions had yet to fully confront.
- Citizens and civil society fear that political ties to the Mahama era could quietly bury an investigation into officials who may have pocketed illicit payments.
- Deputy Attorney General Srem-Sai moved swiftly to counter that fear, declaring publicly that no rank, party card, or presidential friendship will serve as a shield.
- The government is framing its posture as one of openness to scrutiny — signaling it will not obstruct the momentum created by the American verdict.
- The case now sits at a fragile inflection point: public pressure is high, promises have been made, and the credibility of Ghana's justice system hangs on what comes next.
When a foreign court convicts one of its own, a nation is forced to look inward. Ghana now faces that reckoning, as the US conviction of former Goldman Sachs banker Kwaku Asante Berko has cast a long shadow over officials who may have accepted bribes to approve an energy project during a previous administration. Deputy Attorney General Dr Justice Srem-Sai stepped forward this week to assure a skeptical public that President Mahama will not shelter former allies from prosecution — a pledge that is as much a statement of political character as it is of legal intent. The true measure of that promise will only be known when investigators name names and the government must choose between loyalty and accountability.
Ghana's Deputy Attorney General Dr Justice Srem-Sai took to the airwaves on August 17 to deliver a pointed reassurance: no one implicated in the AKSA Energy bribery scandal would be protected by political connection or presidential loyalty. His remarks came in direct response to public anxiety that President Mahama might shield former officials from his first administration, during which some of the alleged payments are said to have occurred.
At the center of the scandal is Kwaku Asante Berko — once a Goldman Sachs banker and former head of Ghana's Tema Oil Refinery — whose conviction in a US court has reignited scrutiny over allegations that Ghanaian officials were bribed to approve a power plant project. The American verdict has done what domestic pressure alone had not: it has created undeniable momentum for accountability on Ghanaian soil.
Srem-Sai grounded his assurance not in abstract principle but in personal knowledge of the President, whom he serves by appointment. He stated plainly that protecting a culpable former minister would be fundamentally out of character for Mahama, and that prosecutorial decisions would be made free of political calculation.
The AKSA case has become a quiet referendum on Ghana's institutional integrity. The government now faces the harder test that follows a public pledge — the moment when investigators surface names and the state must decide whether its promises were sincere. Srem-Sai's words have set a standard; what unfolds in the coming months will determine whether they hold.
In the wake of a major corruption conviction in the United States, Ghana's Deputy Attorney General moved to reassure the public that no one—regardless of rank or party affiliation—would escape accountability if implicated in the AKSA Energy bribery scandal. Dr Justice Srem-Sai made the pledge in an interview with Joy News on Monday, August 17, speaking directly to fears that political connections might shield former government officials from prosecution.
The case centers on Kwaku Asante Berko, a former Goldman Sachs banker and onetime head of Ghana's Tema Oil Refinery, who was convicted in the United States. The conviction has reignited scrutiny over allegations that bribes were paid to Ghanaian government officials to secure approval for a power plant project. With Berko now facing consequences in an American court, attention has turned sharply toward Ghana—toward identifying which officials may have received payments, and whether they will face justice at home.
Srem-Sai's statement was framed as a direct rebuttal to a specific anxiety: that President John Dramani Mahama, under whose first administration some of the alleged payments may have occurred, would use his power to protect allies. The Deputy Attorney General rejected this outright. He spoke with the confidence of someone who knows the President personally, having been appointed by him. "There shouldn't be any doubt in anybody's mind," he said, that a minister from Mahama's earlier term would be shielded if found culpable. He characterized such protection as fundamentally at odds with the President's character and values.
The government's position, as articulated by Srem-Sai, is that the law will proceed without interference. He emphasized that political standing, prior service, or personal connection to the President would not factor into prosecutorial decisions. The Deputy Attorney General spoke of his own confidence in Mahama's commitment to accountability, grounding his assurance in direct working knowledge rather than abstract principle.
The AKSA Energy case has become a test of whether Ghana's government can credibly investigate and prosecute corruption involving its own former officials. The American conviction of Berko has created momentum for action on the Ghanaian side. Public pressure has mounted for authorities to identify beneficiaries of the alleged scheme and bring them to account. Srem-Sai's remarks appear designed to signal that the government will not resist this pressure, that it welcomes scrutiny, and that no one is beyond reach. Whether that promise holds will depend on what investigators uncover and how the government responds when names emerge.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
There shouldn't be any doubt in anybody's mind that any minister who served under the first administration of the President will be involved in the AKSA bribery and then will be covered, or the President would save him or hide or conceal evidence— Deputy Attorney General Dr Justice Srem-Sai
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Politics & Governance