The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has announced the temporary closure of Ghana’s embassy in Washington, D.C., following allegations of widespread corruption and abuse of office at the diplomatic mission.

Mr. Ablakwa disclosed the decision on Monday, May 26, 2025, explaining that the closure is part of efforts “to finalise the ongoing restructuring and systems overhaul” after a special audit team uncovered a long-running fraudulent scheme at the embassy.

He described the move as regrettable but necessary to restore integrity and accountability to Ghana’s diplomatic 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 centre of the scandal is Fred Kwarteng, a locally recruited IT staff member employed in August 2017, who admitted to creating an unauthorised link on the embassy’s website.

This link redirected visa and passport applicants to his private firm, Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC), where they were charged unapproved fees ranging from US$29.75 to US$60.

These payments, which were not sanctioned by the Ministry or Parliament under the Fees and Charges Act, went directly into Kwarteng’s personal account. Investigations suggest the scheme had operated undetected for at least five years.

The matter has been referred to the Attorney-General for possible prosecution and the recovery of misappropriated funds.

Mr. Ablakwa further announced that 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 investigations.

The Auditor-General has been tasked with conducting a full forensic audit to determine the total financial loss to the state.

While acknowledging the inconvenience the temporary closure may cause Ghanaians and foreign nationals seeking consular services, Mr. Ablakwa insisted that such bold action is essential to cleanse the system.

“President Mahama’s government will continue to demonstrate zero tolerance for corruption, naked conflict of interest, and blatant abuse of office,” he emphasised.