Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has announced the temporary closure of the country’s embassy in Washington, D.C., following revelations of a major corruption scandal involving embassy staff.
Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, Mr. Ablakwa said the decision was made to facilitate a full-scale restructuring and overhaul of the embassy’s operations after a special audit uncovered long-standing fraudulent activities.
He described the measure as “regrettable but necessary” to restore accountability and credibility to Ghana’s foreign missions.
“This is part of the drastic and decisive actions I have taken with the firm support of President Mahama, following the damning findings of a special audit team I commissioned,” he said.
At the heart of the scandal is Fred Kwarteng, a locally hired IT staff member who admitted to creating an unauthorised portal on the embassy’s website.
This redirected passport and visa applicants to his private company, Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC), where they were charged unapproved fees ranging between US$29.75 and US$60.
The illicit payments, made outside the framework of the Fees and Charges Act, went directly into Kwarteng’s personal accounts. Investigators believe the fraudulent operation had been running undetected for at least five years.
In response, Mr. Ablakwa announced the recall of all Foreign Ministry personnel assigned to the Washington mission. The embassy’s IT unit has been disbanded, and all locally recruited staff have been suspended pending further investigation.
The Auditor-General has also been directed to conduct a comprehensive forensic audit to determine the full extent of financial losses incurred.
The findings have been forwarded to the Attorney-General for possible prosecution and efforts to recover the misappropriated funds.
While acknowledging the disruption the closure may cause, Mr. Ablakwa stressed that bold reforms are essential. “President Mahama’s government will continue to demonstrate zero tolerance for corruption, naked conflict of interest, and blatant abuse of office,” he stated.
Consular services in the U.S. are expected to be temporarily redirected to other Ghanaian missions in North America as investigations and reforms continue.
