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The former Head of IT at Ghana’s Embassy in Washington D.C., United States, Fred Kwarteng, has broken his silence over allegations of corruption and the diversion of funds.
According to Mr Kwarteng, the decision to create a link on the embassy’s official website that redirected visa and passport applicants to his private company was not illegal and had been authorised by the Ministry under the previous administration.
His remarks come in response to the decision by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to temporarily shut down the embassy following revelations of alleged fraud.
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In a social media post on Monday, 26 May, Mr Ablakwa revealed that Fred Kwarteng, a locally recruited IT officer who joined the embassy in August 2017, had allegedly orchestrated a fraudulent scheme.
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Investigators claim Mr Kwarteng created an unauthorised link on the embassy’s official website that redirected applicants to his private company, Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC).
Through this scheme, unauthorised fees ranging from US$29.75 to US$60 were collected, bypassing official payment channels and violating Ghana’s Fees and Charges Act. The funds were allegedly deposited directly into Mr Kwarteng’s personal bank account.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the scheme remained undetected for at least five years.
The Minister stated that the matter has been referred to the Attorney-General for possible prosecution, with steps underway to recover the misappropriated funds.
Reacting to the allegations in an interview with Asempa FM, Mr Kwarteng denied any wrongdoing.
He argued:
I was working for the embassy and was being paid for other tasks I performed, not for the service I provided to outsiders. Outsiders were paying me to purchase return envelopes, prepare mailing labels, and ensure proper communication from submission to delivery of their applications. These are two separate matters.
He continued:
If I had charged the government for this solution—let’s say a specific amount for the intellectual property or the idea itself—then that would be a completely different issue.
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Mr Kwarteng further defended his actions, claiming that his services had improved the application process:
All these years, did anyone complain online or on social media? No, there were no complaints. So can we focus on the benefits people received and not just the fact that someone was earning from something he genuinely developed?
As part of corrective measures, the embassy’s IT department has been dissolved. All personnel assigned to the Washington mission have been recalled to Accra, and all locally hired staff have been suspended pending further investigations.
Embassy Reopens
Following the temporary closure, the Ghanaian Embassy in Washington D.C. has since been reopened.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, 27 May, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it would assume direct control of the Mission to restore integrity, finalise ongoing structural reforms, and implement a complete overhaul of its systems.
The Ministry noted:
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An Information Technology (IT) team has already been deployed to reconfigure the embassy’s website and payment platforms, removing all unofficial and unauthorised links.
The Ministry reiterated its commitment to improving service delivery, promoting transparency and accountability, and safeguarding Ghana’s international reputation.