Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has taken swift and sweeping action to dismantle what he described as a “deeply entrenched fraudulent scheme” at Ghana’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., following a damning internal audit.
In a statement posted on his official Facebook page on Monday, May 26, Ablakwa detailed a series of decisive reforms undertaken with the full backing of President John Dramani Mahama. These include the dismissal of embassy staff, suspension of local personnel, dissolution of the IT department, and the temporary closure of the mission.
At the centre of the scandal is Mr. Fred Kwarteng, a local staff member hired in August 2017 to work in the embassy’s IT department. According to findings from a special audit team assembled by the minister, Mr. Kwarteng admitted to creating an unauthorized digital link on the embassy’s website. This diversion funneled visa and passport applicants to his privately-owned firm, Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC), where he levied unapproved charges ranging from $29.75 to $60 per applicant.
“These illegal charges were not sanctioned by either the Ministry or Parliament as required under the Fees and Charges Act,” Ablakwa stated. The scheme, believed to have been operating for at least five years, enabled Mr. Kwarteng and his collaborators to pocket all proceeds—an act the minister described as “blatant abuse of office.”
The matter has since been referred to the Attorney-General for possible prosecution and efforts to recover funds obtained through the scheme.
In addition to Kwarteng’s dismissal, Ablakwa announced that all Foreign Ministry staff posted to the Washington mission have been recalled to Ghana with immediate effect. The embassy’s IT department has been dissolved entirely, and all locally recruited staff have been suspended pending further investigation.
To ensure full accountability and transparency, the Auditor-General has been formally invited to conduct a forensic examination of all past transactions at the embassy. “This will help determine the total financial loss to the state and guide further sanctions,” Ablakwa said.
As part of the restructuring, the embassy has been temporarily closed for a few days to facilitate system overhauls and safeguard against further breaches. The Minister expressed regret over any inconvenience this may cause to visa and passport applicants but maintained that the reforms were “absolutely necessary to restore integrity and public confidence.”
“These radical measures demonstrate the Mahama administration’s unwavering commitment to rooting out corruption, conflicts of interest, and abuse of office,” Ablakwa emphasized. “Ghanaians deserve institutions that serve them with transparency, accountability, and professionalism.”
The bold actions by the Foreign Minister signal a renewed push by President Mahama’s government to enforce ethical governance and institutional reform within Ghana’s diplomatic missions worldwide.
