LONDON (Reuters) – Former Goldman Sachs banker Asante Berko who is wanted in the United States for allegedly paying bribes to Ghanaian officials on Friday won part of his appeal, but still faces extradition to the United States.
Berko was charged with six offences in New York in 2020 relating to his time working for Goldman Sachs.
He appealed against the decision to extradite him at London’s High Court last month after a judge sent his case to British ministers in 2023.
Berko’s lawyers said he could not be extradited in relation to three of the charges, which allege that he wilfully failed to file reports of foreign bank accounts in the U.S., as the allegation was not a criminal offence in Britain.
They also argued that Berko’s alleged offending took place in Britain or in Ghana, meaning he should not stand trial in the United States.
Judge Charles Bourne ruled on Friday that Berko should not be extradited to face the three charges of failing to file reports of foreign bank accounts.
The judge said Berko would otherwise be at risk of “being convicted and imprisoned for conduct which would not amount to an offence in this country”.
However, Bourne rejected the rest of Berko’s appeal, meaning he still faces extradition.
“Although the appellant was based in the UK at the time of the relevant conduct, the conspiracy was entirely international in nature,” Bourne ruled.
(Reporting by Sam Tobin; editing by Jason Neely)
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