Former Minister of Power, Dr Kwabena Donkor, has denied any knowledge of, or involvement in, allegations of bribery linked to the US case of Mr Asante Berko. He completely and emphatically denied any knowledge of a request or demand for any money as alleged and linked to him, even though he accepts that he was the Minister at the time.
The denial was contained in a statement signed and issued on behalf of Dr Donkor by his counsel, Kobina Tahir Hammond, head of Cavendish Chambers.
It continued that, “Our client also admits that the State, through his then Ministry, the Ministry of Power, negotiated with ASKA Energy for the generation of electric power in Ghana, during the relevant period.
The negotiations took place during a period when Ghana experienced erratic power supply, locally known as ‘Dumsor’ – a period of extreme load-shedding and power emergency.
The statement said a technical team from all electricity power stakeholders was sent to Istanbul, Turkey, to inspect equipment for power generation in Ghana as part of regular pre-shipment inspection practice.
The statement maintained that the former minister never met Mr Asante Berko, who is in the centre of the bribery scandal.
“According to our client, at no point in the course of this negotiation did he once set eyes on the said Mr Asante Berko”, adding that Dr Donkor has never met Mr Asante Berko all his life.
“He never discussed any personal benefit of any value with Mr Asante Berko or any other person. He never authorised any person to discuss any such matters on his behalf”, it emphasised.
It emphatically stressed that “he never received any money in any denomination or any personal benefit from Mr Asante Berko or any other person”.
The statement added that “any person or persons who may have made any such criminal demand in his name did so for that person or persons’ own benefit”.
On US trial evidence Dr Donkor said he does not understand that any evidence was led in the US trial linking him to demanding or receiving money, cedis, dollars, or anything of value to him personally.
“He does not accept that evidence that some other person or persons claimed that they required money from their principals for the benefit of ‘Senior Ghana Official’ or any other title holder metamorphosed into any evidence of criminality or wrong doing against him,” the statement said.
Cavendish Chambers, headed by K.T Hammond, said the Chambers had been instructed to notify the general public and warned that “any publication or statement of any kind which could impugn the reputation and integrity of his client would be met with immediate legal proceedings.
Meanwhile, the Attorney-General’s office has announced plans to investigate persons in Ghana allegedly implicated in the bribery scheme.
The move follows the conviction of Ghanaian-American former Goldman Sachs Investment Banker, Asante Kwaku Berko, by a United States federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, for his role in an alleged scheme to bribe Ghanaian government officials to facilitate the project.
Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Justice Srem Sai, in a statement shared on X said the Attorney-General was working with U.S. authorities to bring persons implicated in the scheme to book.
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The post Kwabena Donkor: I’m Not A Bribe- Taker! … I Have Never Met Asante Berko In My Life appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.
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