Ghana’s Embassy in Washington, D.C. reopens for services today Thursday, May 29, 2025, following the sweeping overhaul triggered by damning revelations of a long-running fraudulent scheme uncovered by an audit.
The reopening follows political tensions over the handling of the closure, with the Minority in Parliament condemning the government’s communication and decision-making process.
The Ministry announced that a team of experienced diplomats have been deployed to replace all recalled home-based staff and suspended local employees. The Embassy’s IT systems have also undergone a complete reconfiguration to eliminate unauthorized links used for illegal fee collection.
“We assure that measures have been put in place to clear the backlog. Any inconvenience resulting from our necessary interventions is deeply regretted,” the Ministry said.
The Ministry also confirmed that the Auditor-General and Attorney-General have been called in to investigate and take appropriate action, including prosecution.
The Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, revealed that Mr Fred Kwarteng, a local IT staffer, was dismissed after it was discovered he had created an unauthorized link diverting visa and passport applicants to his private company—Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC)—charging fees ranging from $29.75 to $60 over at least five years.
He indicated that this conduct has been reported to the Attorney-General for possible prosecution and retrieval of funds obtained through fraudulent schemes, emphasizing that President Mahama’s government maintains “zero tolerance for corruption, naked conflict of interest and blatant abuse of office.”
Additional actions taken by the Ministry include the recall of all ministry staff posted to the Embassy; suspension of all locally recruited staff; dissolution of the IT department and request for a forensic audit by the Auditor-General.
The move drew sharp criticism from the Minority in Parliament, who described the public closure and media engagement as diplomatically reckless and institutionally damaging.
They argued that the Minister for Foreign Affairs should have first consulted the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Relations, managed the crisis discreetly, and followed established diplomatic protocols.
Despite the controversy, the Ministry remains firm in its commitment to restoring integrity and improving service delivery across Ghana’s diplomatic missions.