Ghana’s Ministry of Overseas Affairs has introduced that the nation’s embassy in Washington, D.C. will reopen on Thursday, 29 Could 2025, following a brief closure linked to a fraud investigation.
The closure was triggered by revelations from a particular audit staff, which uncovered a longstanding fraudulent operation allegedly masterminded by a domestically recruited IT workers member.
The Ministry has since recalled all home-based workers and suspended native workers as a part of a broad inside overhaul.
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In a press release issued on Tuesday, 27 Could, the Ministry stated it will take over the operating of the Mission to revive integrity, full ongoing structural reforms, and guarantee a complete techniques overhaul.
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It’s value noting that an Info Know-how (IT) staff has already been deployed to reconfigure the web site and fee platforms to remove all unofficial and unauthorised hyperlinks related to the Embassy’s IT system.
The Ministry reaffirmed its dedication to enhancing service supply, upholding transparency and accountability, and defending Ghana’s fame on the worldwide stage.
Background
The fraud is alleged to have been orchestrated by Fred Kwarteng, a domestically recruited IT officer who joined the Embassy in August 2017.
Investigators say Kwarteng created an unauthorised hyperlink on the official embassy web site, which redirected candidates for visas and passports to his personal entity, Ghana Journey Consultants (GTC).
By way of the scheme, unapproved charges starting from US$29.75 to US$60 had been collected, bypassing official channels and contravening Ghana’s Charges and Costs Act.
The funds had been allegedly paid instantly into Kwarteng’s private checking account.
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Preliminary investigations recommend the scheme remained undetected for at the least 5 years. The case has been referred to the Legal professional-Basic for attainable prosecution, with efforts underway to get better the misappropriated funds.
As a part of corrective measures, the embassy’s IT division has been dissolved.
The Minister of Overseas Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa confirmed that each one personnel assigned to the Washington mission have been recalled to Accra, and all domestically employed workers have been suspended pending additional investigations.
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