Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has announced a sweeping purge of staff and operations at Ghana’s embassy in Washington, D.C., following damning revelations of corruption uncovered by a special audit team.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the minister disclosed that the audit team, established months ago to investigate allegations of financial misconduct, uncovered a sophisticated fraudulent scheme that had operated for at least five years within the embassy.
Central to the findings was Mr. Fred Kwarteng, a locally recruited IT staff member, who was summarily dismissed.
According to the audit and his own admission, Fred Kwarteng created an unauthorized link on the embassy’s website that redirected visa and passport applicants to his private company, Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC).
Through this scheme, he levied unapproved charges ranging between US$29.75 and US$60 per applicant, bypassing the Ministry and breaching the Fees and Charges Act.
“The entire proceeds were kept in his private account,” the minister revealed, adding that the matter has been referred to the Attorney-General for potential prosecution and recovery of funds.
In response, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has taken what he described as “drastic and decisive actions,” including; immediate dismissal of Fred Kwarteng, recall of all Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff posted to the Washington embassy, dissolution of the embassy’s IT department, suspension of all locally recruited staff, invitation to the Auditor-General to conduct a forensic audit of all transactions and assess the financial damage and temporary closure of the Washington DC embassy to facilitate a complete restructuring and systems overhaul.
“These radical measures are necessary to restore integrity and public trust in our diplomatic missions,” the minister stated. He also expressed regret for any inconvenience caused to visa and passport applicants during the temporary closure.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa reaffirmed the Mahama administration’s commitment to fighting corruption, conflict of interest, and abuse of office. “President Mahama’s government will continue to demonstrate zero tolerance for corruption,” he emphasized.
Further updates on the embassy restructuring and ongoing investigations are expected in the coming days.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
