Fired embassy IT staff offered me a $10,000 bribe to be silent – NPP’s Kofi Tonto

Kofi Tonto, a former Head of Information at the Ghana Embassy in Washington DC, made serious allegations against Fred Kwarteng. He claimed that Kwarteng offered him a $10,000 monthly bribe to remain silent.

Tonto investigated Kwarteng after noticing he had started his own company. In an interview on Asempa FM on May 26, 2025, Tonto said, “He is a bad boy.” He confirmed that Kwarteng worked at the embassy since 2015 and was regularized in 2017.

Tonto discovered that Kwarteng's private company was illegally offering mailing services. Customers were charged extra fees without authorization. When Tonto reported this to leadership, they allowed him to investigate further.

After his investigation, Kwarteng admitted to the wrongdoing. He told Tonto he had accomplices with more authority and warned him not to waste his time.

Kwarteng then offered Tonto money to overlook the situation. He claimed that Tonto’s report would be ignored by the ambassador.

Kwarteng proposed $10,000 each month for silence, but Tonto rejected it. Shockingly, Kwarteng also cloned the embassy’s official website. With help from civil servants, he created a fake site to collect extra fees from applicants.

Tonto's comments follow revelations about Kwarteng diverting visa and passport fees into personal accounts. Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa confirmed these findings.

Ablakwa stated that Kwarteng was dismissed immediately for his actions. Hired on August 11, 2017, he worked in the IT department of the embassy.

Investigations revealed that he created an unauthorized link on the embassy’s website. This link redirected applicants to his company, Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC).

Kwarteng charged extra fees ranging from $29.75 to $60 per applicant without approval from the ministry or parliament. The illegal scheme lasted for at least five years before being uncovered.