Ghana Shuts Down Embassy in Washington D.C. Temporarily Over Corruption Scandal
- Ghana has temporarily closed its embassy in Washington, D.C., following a corruption scandal
- The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said drastic measures are being taken following the scandal
- The minister singled out one Fred Kwarteng, a locally recruited IT staff member employed in August 2017
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Ghana has temporarily closed its embassy in Washington, D.C., following allegations of corruption and abuse of office.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, announced the temporary closure while announcing the government's plans for the embassy.
Source: UGC
In a statement, Ablakwa said the move was regrettable but necessary.
The minister named one Fred Kwarteng, a locally recruited IT staff member employed in August 2017, who admitted to creating an unauthorised link on the embassy’s website to charge unapproved fees.
This link redirected visa and passport applicants to his private firm, where fees of up to US$60 were charged.
"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."
Ablakwa said investigations reveal that he and his collaborators operated this illegal scheme for at least 5 years.
The case has been referred to the Attorney-General for possible prosecution.
Fate of staff in Ghana embassy in US
Ablakwa further said Foreign Ministry staff posted to the Washington D.C. mission have been recalled to Accra.
The embassy’s IT department has been dissolved, and all locally recruited staff have been suspended.
The minister also said the Auditor-General has been tasked with conducting a full forensic audit to determine the total financial loss to the state.
"Any inconvenience these radical measures may cause visa and passport applicants is regretted."
Man paid $1.5m in sale of Ghana property in Nigeria
In April, in some other diplomatic controversy, Ablakwa announced the arrest of one Bright Mensah Bonsu, who is said to have received $1.5 million and signed documents purporting to sell a prime diplomatic property belonging to Ghana’s High Commission in Nigeria.
Bonsu was arrested by Ghanaian security operatives, according to the minister.
Ablakwa said Bonsu describes himself as a special aide to former Ghana High Commissioner to Nigeria, the late Alhaji Rashid Bawa.
"It is important to emphasise that the US$1.5million cash was not paid into government accounts neither is there any record at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the cash was officially declared."
Source: Facebook
Ablakwa said documents reveal that Bonsu and his collaborators had valued the prime Lagos beachfront diplomatic property at $5.3 million and considered the $1.5 million payment as the first instalment.
He also said the government is investigating the circumstances under which Bonsu was issued a diplomatic passport on October 18, 2023, by the Akufo-Addo government.
ORAL identifies $21 billion in suspected looted funds
YEN.com.gh reported that Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) had identified $21.19 billion in potential recoveries.
The committee handed over its report to President John Mahama on February 2, 2025.
The ORAL team was launched on December 18, 2024, with Ablakwa appointed as the chairman.
Ablakwa believes ORAL’s investigation into 36 high-profile cases alone could yield up to $20.49 billion for Ghana.
Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
