Corruption Rocks Ghana's Washington Embassy, Ablakwa Orders Closure

Washington D.C, USA - 26 May, 2025 - In a swift response to a damning audit report exposing alleged corruption, Ghana's Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has ordered the temporary closure of the country's embassy in Washington, D.C. starting Monday, May 26, 2025, for a thorough overhaul and restructuring.

In a statement on his X account (formerly Twitter), Ablakwa revealed that the probe, conducted by a special audit team, uncovered a shocking scheme in which a local staff member, Fred Kwarteng, created an unauthorized link on the embassy's website, diverting visa and passport applicants to his private company, Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC). 

According to Ablakwa, Kwarteng allegedly charged extra fees, ranging from $29.75 to $60 per applicant, and pocketed the proceeds without remitting them to the ministry. 

The investigation revealed that this illicit scheme had been in operation for at least five years.

''With the firm support of President Mahama, I have carried out the following drastic and decisive actions following the damming findings of a special audit team i put together a couple of months ago to investigate alleged corrupt practices at Ghana’s embassy in Washington DC.''

'' 1) The immediate dismissal of Mr. Fred Kwarteng. Mr. Kwarteng was a local staff recruited on August 11, 2017 to work in the embassy’s IT department. According to findings and his own admission, he created an unauthorized link on the embassy’s website which diverted visa and passport applicants to his company, Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC) where he charged extra for multiple services on the blind side of the ministry and kept the entire proceeds in his private account. His illegal extra charges which were not approved by the ministry and parliament as required under the Fees and Charges Act ranges from US$29.75 to US$60 per applicant.''

''The Investigations reveal that he and his collaborators operated this illegal scheme for at least 5 years. This conduct has been reported to the Attorney-General for possible prosecution and retrieval of funds obtained through fraudulent schemes. 

In response to these findings, Minister Ablakwa has taken the following actions: Fred Kwarteng has been dismissed and his case referred to the Attorney-General for possible prosecution and retrieval of funds obtained through fraudulent means.

All ministry staff posted to the Washington embassy have been recalled, and the embassy's IT department has been dissolved. 

Additionally, all locally recruited staff at the embassy have been suspended, and the Auditor-General has been invited to conduct a forensic examination of all transactions to determine the total cost of the fraudulent scheme.

''The embassy’s IT department has been promptly dissolved. All locally recruited staff at the embassy have been suspended,'' he added.

He stated that the Ghanaian embassy in Washington DC will be closed for a few days to facilitate the ongoing restructuring and systems overhaul.

Ablakwa apologized for any inconvenience this may cause visa and passport applicants, emphasizing that President Mahama's government is committed to demonstrating zero tolerance for corruption, conflict of interest, and abuse of office.

Source: Florence Kyei/ Lead News Online