By ENGR Mahmud Mohammed-Nurudeen
The Embassy of Ghana in Washington D.C. will reopen on Thursday, May 29, after being temporarily closed due to a major corruption scandal involving a fraudulent IT scheme.
The embassy was shut down on May 26 for a full systems overhaul after officials discovered that a staff member had used the embassy’s website to redirect applicants and collect illegal payments for personal gain.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, May 27, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that a new team of experienced diplomats has been assigned to manage the embassy and lead reforms.
“A team of seasoned diplomats led by an astute diplomat from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been tasked to run the Mission to ensure a total systems overhaul, restore integrity in the Embassy’s operations and complete ongoing structural reforms,” the statement read.
An IT team has also been deployed to reconfigure the embassy’s website and payment systems, removing all unauthorized and unofficial links.
The Ministry said the corruption case has been referred to the Attorney-General for possible prosecution and recovery of stolen funds.
The temporary closure was part of drastic actions taken after an audit team uncovered a long-running scam at the embassy.
According to the Ministry, Fred Kwarteng, a local IT staffer hired in 2017, created an unauthorized web link that redirected applicants for visas and passports to his private company, Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC).
There, applicants were charged unapproved fees ranging from $29.75 to $60, with the money allegedly deposited into his personal account.
Investigators believe the scheme operated for at least five years without detection.
In response, all Foreign Affairs Ministry staff posted to the embassy in Washington D.C. were recalled to Accra, the IT department was dissolved, and all locally hired staff were suspended.
The Ministry apologized for the inconvenience caused to Ghanaians and other applicants but stressed that the actions were necessary to restore trust and integrity in Ghana’s diplomatic services abroad.
