The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has demanded the disclosure of the identity of a relative of President John Dramani Mahama allegedly described in United States court records as a “Presidential Relative” in the bribery case involving former Goldman Sachs banker Asante Kwaku Berko.

The party says the individual was associated with a consulting company involved in the Aksa Enerji power project and travelled to Istanbul in January 2015 for a meeting that produced the Turkish power producer’s bid.

Addressing a press conference in Accra on Thursday, August 13, Manhyia South MP Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah said the identity and role of the individual must be established through an independent investigation.

“The Ghanaian public deserves to know: Who was this person? What was the person’s relationship with President Mahama? What company or entity was the person associated with?” he asked.

The NPP said the matter is particularly important because the power project was pursued during the period of severe power shortages popularly known as DUMSOR.

The United States court proceedings established that Berko was involved in a scheme connected to payments allegedly intended to influence Ghanaian officials in securing approvals for the Aksa power project.

A US federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, convicted Berko on charges including conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a substantive violation of the Act and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The NPP said although the conviction was secured in the United States, the underlying transaction involved Ghanaian public institutions and officials and therefore requires investigation in Ghana.

It said the court record identified several categories of persons allegedly connected to the transaction, including the then Minister of Power, an adviser to the minister, a senior Ministry of Power official and the unnamed “Presidential Relative”.

The party also raised questions about payment entries allegedly associated with the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) and individuals described in the records as “MoP Girls”.

It is demanding an independent public inquiry into the Aksa power project to establish the identities of persons involved, the payments allegedly made and the extent to which the approval process may have been compromised.

The NPP further called for the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to lead any investigation into the matter, arguing that it lacks confidence in the Attorney-General to handle allegations involving politically connected persons.