A special audit conducted in May 2025 uncovered a long­standing visa and passport fee scam allegedly orchestrated by a locally recruited IT officer, Fred Kwarteng. The officer, without authorisation, allegedly created a third-party online platform under the name Ghana Travel Consul­tants (GTC) to unlawfully charge visa applicants between US $29.75 and $60 over a five-year period.

In swift response to the find­ings, Mr Ablakwa ordered the dis­missal of the implicated officer, a complete recall of embassy staff, suspension of all locally recruited personnel and the dissolution of the embassy’s IT department. The Ministry also launched a full fo­rensic audit and referred the mat­ter to the Attorney-General for criminal prosecution and recovery of misappropriated funds.

Addressing journalists at a press conference on Thursday in Accra Mr Ablakwa stressed that the current government is usher­ing in a new era in which ethical governance, accountability and rule of law will take precedence over personal gains and impunity, while protecting and upholding the hard-earned reputation of the ministry.

The fact-finding probe uncov­ered questionable dealings involv­ing Ghana’s embassy and a private courier firm allegedly linked to Fred Kwartin.

The probe revealed that the said company had been engaged to handle services for the mission under unconventional contract terms.

According to Mr Ablakwa, the contract lacked basic legal ele­ments such as termination clauses, a fixed term and specific figures with no evidence of required pro­curement or ministerial approval, raising fears that the agreement could function as a blank cheque for the company involved.

Mr Ablakwa questioned the rationale behind outsourcing such services when other Ghanaian missions such as the one in New York, work directly with established international courier companies like FedEx and UPS without intermediaries.