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Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that the country’s embassy in Washington, D.C. will reopen on Thursday, 29 May 2025, following a temporary closure linked to a fraud investigation.
The closure was triggered by revelations from a special audit team, which uncovered a longstanding fraudulent operation allegedly masterminded by a locally recruited IT staff member.
The Ministry has since recalled all home-based staff and suspended local employees as part of a broad internal overhaul.
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In a statement issued on Tuesday, 27 May, the Ministry said it would take over the running of the Mission to restore integrity, complete ongoing structural reforms, and ensure a total systems overhaul.
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It is worth noting that an Information Technology (IT) team has already been deployed to reconfigure the website and payment platforms to eliminate all unofficial and unauthorised links associated with the Embassy’s IT system.
The Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing service delivery, upholding transparency and accountability, and protecting Ghana’s reputation on the international stage.
Background
The fraud is alleged to have been orchestrated by Fred Kwarteng, a locally recruited IT officer who joined the Embassy in August 2017.
Investigators say Kwarteng created an unauthorised link on the official embassy website, which redirected applicants for visas and passports to his private entity, Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC).
Through the scheme, unapproved fees ranging from US$29.75 to US$60 were collected, bypassing official channels and contravening Ghana’s Fees and Charges Act.
The funds were allegedly paid directly into Kwarteng’s personal bank account.
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Preliminary investigations suggest the scheme remained undetected for at least five years. The case has been referred to the Attorney-General for possible prosecution, with efforts underway to recover the misappropriated funds.
As part of corrective measures, the embassy’s IT department has been dissolved.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa confirmed that all personnel assigned to the Washington mission have been recalled to Accra, and all locally hired staff have been suspended pending further investigations.
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