"Drastic and decisive": Ghana shuts down embassy in US over corruption scandal

Ghana Shuts Down Embassy in Washington D.C. Temporarily Over Corruption Scandal

Ghana has temporarily closed its embassy in Washington, D.C. This decision follows allegations of corruption and abuse of office.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, announced the closure. He described the move as regrettable but necessary.

The scandal involves Fred Kwarteng, an IT staff member. He was hired in August 2017 and created an unauthorized link on the embassy’s website. This link redirected visa and passport applicants to his private firm, Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC).

Applicants were charged unapproved fees between $29.75 and $60. These payments went directly into Kwarteng’s personal account. Investigations indicate this scheme operated undetected for at least five years.

The case has been referred to the Attorney-General for possible prosecution. Authorities are also looking to recover misappropriated funds.

Ablakwa announced that all Foreign Ministry staff at the Washington mission have been recalled to Accra. The embassy’s IT department has been dissolved, and locally recruited staff have been suspended pending investigations.

The Auditor-General will conduct a full forensic audit to assess financial losses to the state. Ablakwa acknowledged that the temporary closure may inconvenience Ghanaians and foreign nationals seeking consular services.

However, he emphasized that these actions are essential for cleansing the system.