Following the discovery of a significant corruption scandal involving visa fraud and unauthorized payments by a special audit, Ghana temporarily closed its embassy in Washington, D.C. The decision was made public on Monday by Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who said it was an essential step in restoring accountability and integrity to Ghana’s diplomatic missions overseas.
“This is part of a decisive effort to restructure and overhaul embassy operations following shocking audit findings,”
With the support of President Mahama, we are taking bold action to fight corruption and rebuild trust.” Ablakwa said.
Discovery Of Visa Fraud Led To The Recall Of Embassy Employees.
According to the audit, an unauthorized link was made on the embassy’s website by Fred Kwarteng, a locally employed IT officer who has been there since 2017.
Through this link, applicants for passports and visas were sent to Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC), his private business, where they were assessed, unofficial fees ranging from $29.75 to $60.
Kwarteng’s personal bank account received these payments, which were not authorized by Ghana’s fees act. Investigators estimate that for at least five years, the fraudulent scheme went unnoticed.
For the purpose of potential prosecution and the recovery of misappropriated public funds, the case has been forwarded to Ghana’s Attorney General.
Complete Staff Audit and Recall Initiated
All Foreign Ministry employees assigned to the embassy in Washington, D.C., have been called back to Accra in response to the scandal.
All locally hired employees have been suspended pending additional investigations, and the embassy’s IT department has been disbanded.
The Auditor-General will carry out a thorough forensic audit to ascertain the entire amount of money lost by the state, Ablakwa further confirmed.
Recognised Public Inconvenience
Ablakwa emphasized that decisive action is required to clean up the system, even though he acknowledged the disruption the closure may cause for Ghanaians and foreigners in need of consular services.
“The government of President Mahama maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward corruption, abuse of office, and conflicts of interest,” he stated.
The Foreign Ministry states that services will resume after the restructuring process is finished, but no timeframe has been provided for the embassy’s reopening.
By Najat Adamu
