By: Spendilove Incoom
A major scandal has rocked Ghana’s embassy in Washington DC following revelations of an elaborate visa and passport fraud scheme allegedly orchestrated by embassy staff. The exposé, spearheaded by a special audit team commissioned by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa with the backing of President John Mahama, has prompted swift and sweeping disciplinary actions.
At the center of the scandal is Mr. Fred Kwarteng, a locally recruited IT officer at the embassy, who has been dismissed with immediate effect.
Investigations revealed that he created an unauthorized link on the embassy’s website, rerouting visa and passport applicants to his personal company, Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC). Through this channel, he charged unapproved fees ranging from $29.75 to $60, pocketing the proceeds for at least five years.
All Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff posted to the Washington mission have been recalled. The entire IT department has been dissolved, and all locally recruited staff have been suspended to facilitate ongoing investigations.
The Auditor-General has been tasked with conducting a full forensic audit to ascertain the total cost and reach of the fraudulent scheme.
As part of the cleanup and restructuring process, the embassy has been temporarily closed for a few days.
In a statement, Mr Ablakwa reiterated the government’s commitment to zero tolerance for corruption, conflict of interest, and abuse of office.
The matter has also been referred to the Attorney-General for possible prosecution and recovery of stolen funds.
One Response
The dishonest IT person must not only be terminated as the embassy’s employee. He must be prosecuted and jailed for a minimum of 5 years, as detergent to subsequent would-be defrauders of Ghana’s properties.
To be simply dismissed serves no purpose, and does not demand honest service to Ghana and her cotizens.
Humbly submitted,
Papa Kojo.