Peter Kwamena Essilfie Bartels (born 27 October 1947) is a Ghanaian politician and former government minister of the New Patriotic Party.
After obtaining his bachelor's degree in 1971, Bartels continued his studies at the Ghana School of Law in order to become a professional lawyer.
[1] In 1979, Bartels first contested for a seat in the Parliament of Ghana, but was defeated by a People's National Party candidate.
A lot of senior NPP members said he was sacked because of his support for his close friend the then Candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, they claim the then president Kufour wanted Bartels to use his influence in the Central Region to garner votes for Alan Kyeremanteng.
It is also alleged that Bartels channeled considerable amounts of a US-sponsored government fund meant for the Ghanaian private sector to companies owned by his daughters and sons-in-law.