The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced the temporary closure of the Ghana Embassy in Washington DC, United States of America, effective today. This follows the findings of a special audit into alleged corrupt practices at the embassy.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, disclosed this in a post on X (formerly Twitter), where he outlined six ‘drastic’ measures taken to purge the embassy of corruption.
He indicated that the President is fully aware of and has approved the measures, which will temporarily affect the operations and staffing of the embassy.
“With the firm support of President Mahama, I have carried out the following drastic and decisive actions following the damning findings of a special audit team I commissioned a few months ago to investigate alleged corrupt practices at Ghana’s embassy in Washington DC,” he wrote.
The six measures include:
- Immediate dismissal of Mr. Fred Kwarteng, a locally recruited staff member who joined in August 2017. He was found to have diverted visa and passport applicants to his private company, Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC), where he charged $60 per applicant instead of the approved $29.75 under the Fees and Charges Act—an overcharge of $30.25. According to the Minister, one Mr. Kwarteng, is believed to have perpetrated the scheme for five years with the help of an undisclosed collaborator. The Attorney-General has been directed to prosecute all involved and ensure full recovery of stolen funds
- Recall of all Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff currently posted at the Washington DC embassy with immediate effect.
- Dissolution of the embassy’s IT department.
- Suspension of all locally recruited staff at the embassy.
- Invitation of the Auditor-General to conduct a forensic audit of all transactions and determine the full extent and cost of the fraudulent scheme.
- Temporary closure of the embassy for a few days to allow for restructuring and systems overhaul.
The Minister apologised for any inconvenience caused by the temporary closure and emphasized the government’s zero-tolerance policy for corruption and conflict of interest.
“Any inconvenience these radical measures may cause visa and passport applicants is deeply regretted,” he stated.