Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has dismissed Mr. Fred Kwarteng from the IT Department at Ghana’s embassy in Washington, DC.
Mr. Kwarteng, a local staff member recruited on 11 August 2017, was found to have engaged in serious misconduct.
Referring to findings from an audit report and Kwarteng’s own admission, Mr. Ablakwa stated that Mr. Fred Kwarteng allegedly created an unauthorized link on the embassy’s website.
This link diverted visa and passport applicants to his company, Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC), where he charged additional fees for various services, unbeknownst to the ministry.
He reportedly retained all proceeds in his personal account.
“His illegal extra charges, which were not approved by the ministry and Parliament as required under the Fees and Charges Act, ranged from US$29.75 to US$60 per applicant,” the Minister wrote on his X page.
Mr. Ablakwa affirmed that he made this decision with the firm backing of President John Dramani Mahama. In his post, he outlined the decisive measures taken in response to the audit’s alarming findings:
1. The immediate dismissal of Mr. Fred Kwarteng.
According to the investigation, Kwarteng created an unauthorized link that diverted visa and passport applicants to his company, GTC, where he charged extra fees without the ministry’s consent.
This fraudulent scheme reportedly operated for a minimum of five years.
This conduct has been reported to the Attorney-General for potential prosecution and the recovery of funds obtained through these illicit activities.
2. All Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff assigned to the Washington embassy have been recalled to Ghana with immediate effect.
3. The embassy’s IT department has been promptly dissolved.
4. All locally recruited staff at the embassy have been suspended.
5. The Auditor-General has been invited to conduct a forensic examination of all transactions to ascertain the total cost of this elaborate fraudulent scheme.
6. Ghana’s embassy in Washington, DC, shall be temporarily closed for a few days as we finalise the ongoing restructuring and systems overhaul.
The Minister expressed regret for any inconvenience these radical measures may cause visa and passport applicants.
He emphasised that President Mahama’s government remains committed to a policy of zero tolerance towards corruption, blatant conflicts of interest, and abuse of office. More updates will follow soon.
