ACCRA, May 26, 2025 — Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has announced the temporary closure of the country’s embassy in Washington, D.C., amid a growing corruption scandal that has rocked the diplomatic mission.
Speaking on Monday, Mr. Ablakwa said the closure is part of an urgent effort “to finalise the ongoing restructuring and systems overhaul,” following what he described as damning findings from a special audit into the embassy’s operations.
“This is part of the drastic and decisive actions I have taken with the firm support of President Mahama, following the damning findings of a special audit team I put together a couple of months ago to investigate alleged corrupt practices at Ghana’s embassy in Washington D.C.,” he stated.
At the heart of the scandal is Fred Kwarteng, a locally hired IT staff member who joined the embassy in August 2017. According to the minister, Kwarteng admitted to creating an unauthorised link on the embassy’s website that redirected visa and passport applicants to his private firm, Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC).
Applicants were reportedly charged unofficial fees ranging from US$29.75 to US$60, which went directly into Kwarteng’s personal account. These payments, Mr. Ablakwa confirmed, were not approved under the Fees and Charges Act and were never remitted to the state.
The fraudulent scheme is believed to have operated undetected for at least five years.
The case has now been referred to the Attorney-General for possible prosecution and recovery of the funds.
In a sweeping response, all Foreign Ministry staff posted to the Washington D.C. mission have been recalled to Accra. The embassy’s IT department has been dissolved, and all locally recruited staff have been suspended pending further investigation.
The Auditor-General has also been directed to conduct a full forensic audit to assess the financial losses incurred.
Mr. Ablakwa acknowledged that the embassy’s temporary closure would inconvenience both Ghanaians and foreign nationals seeking consular services, but maintained that the government’s response is both necessary and justified.
He described the move as regrettable but necessary to restore integrity and accountability to Ghana’s diplomatic operations, and reaffirmed the administration’s stance against corruption.
