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No passport application service at Ghana’s Embassy in Washington DC for the time being
No passport application service at Ghana’s Embassy in Washington DC for the time being
By: Nii Ammui Fio | 2 mins read
The Ghanaian government has announced a complete suspension of passport application services at its embassy in Washington DC, following the exposure of a deep-seated corruption scandal involving an IT staffer.
Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa disclosed that the suspension is part of a series of emergency measures to address fraud uncovered at the embassy. At the center of the scandal is Mr. Fred Kwarteng, a local employee who joined the mission on August 11, 2017, to work in its IT department.
Mr. Kwarteng has admitted to creating an unauthorized link on the embassy’s website that secretly redirected visa and passport applicants to his private business, Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC). Through this scheme, he imposed additional charges ranging from US$29.75 to US$60 per applicant—charges that were not sanctioned by the Ministry or Parliament, in violation of the Fees and Charges Act.
"The investigations reveal that he and his collaborators operated this illegal scheme for at least 5 years," Mr. Ablakwa revealed.
According to the Minister, Mr. Kwarteng kept all proceeds from the fraudulent transactions in his private account. As a result, he has been dismissed from his role, and the matter has been referred to the Attorney-General for possible prosecution and recovery of stolen funds.
To uncover the full extent of the malpractice, the Auditor-General has been invited to conduct a forensic audit of all related transactions.
In the meantime, drastic administrative actions have been taken. All Foreign Affairs Ministry staff stationed at the Washington mission have been recalled, the embassy’s IT department has been dissolved, and all locally hired employees have been suspended.
Mr. Ablakwa offered an apology to applicants affected by the suspension of services.
"President Mahama’s government will continue to demonstrate zero tolerance for corruption, naked conflict of interest and blatant abuse of office," he assured.
