Ghana’s embassy in Washington to reopen for business on Thursday – Nsemkeka
The Embassy of Ghana in Washington D.C. is expected to reopen on Thursday, May 29, resuming full consular services after a temporary closure due to a major corruption scandal.
It was shut down on May 26 as part of a restructuring and systems overhaul after uncovering an IT breach which allowed a staff member to redirect applicants in a fraudulent scheme for personal benefits.
A statement signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, on Tuesday, May 27, said, “A team of seasoned diplomats led by an astute diplomat from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been tasked to run the Mission to ensure a total systems overhaul, restore integrity in the Embassy’s operations and complete ongoing structural reforms.”
Additionally, “an Information Technology (IT) team has already been deployed to reconfigure the website and payment platforms to do away with all unofficial and unauthorised links associated with the IT system or the Embassy”.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that the “unfortunate circumstances which led to the closure of the Embassy have been brought to the attention of the Auditor-General and the Attorney-General of the Republic of Ghana for further action and appropriate sanctions”.
Background
An investigation uncovered that a local staff member, Mr Fred Kwarteng, had created an unauthorised link on the embassy website, diverting applicants to his company, where illegal fees were charged.
These fees, which were not approved under the Fees and Charges Act, ranged between US$29.75 and US$60 per applicant, according to a statement by Mr Ablakwa several days ago.
As part of the crackdown, all Ministry of Foreign Affairs personnel posted at the embassy were recalled, and all locally recruited staff were suspended.
The embassy’s IT department was dissolved to halt further misconduct and restore integrity to its operations.
Below is the statement.