Parliament will next week receive a detailed report of the corruption scandal at Ghana's Embassy in Washington DC involving one Fred Kwarteng.

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The Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, made this known in a post on social media after disclosing that a recently discovered 2023 unauthorized, opaque and illegal agreement between Fred Kwarteng and a top official at the Washington Embassy has been declared a nullity and will no longer be respected.

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"More on this plus frozen accounts and other remedial actions will be presented in greater detail when I address Parliament next week," he wrote.

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In 24 hours, Ghana's Embassy in Washington DC has issued over 800 visas after operations resumed on Thursday.

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In a post on X today, the minister wrote: "From the briefing I have received, our reopened embassy in Washington DC issued over 800 visas yesterday on the first day of resumption. I expect this level of efficiency, professionalism and integrity to continue."

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Ghana's Embassy in Washington DC, was reopened yesterday, May 29, after a team of seasoned diplomats led by an astute diplomat was tasked to run the mission as government probes the corruption scandal involving one Fred Kwarteng.

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The sector minister commended the fresh team of seasoned diplomats "for the great job so far in implementing our systems overhaul and institutional fumigation."

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"This is testament that Ghanaian diplomats excel when provided with the right ecosystem and leadership," he added.

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Mr Ablakwa in his post, also refuted claims of new recruitments to replace lost jobs in the Washington embassy, adding that "we have an adequate stock of distinguished and astute diplomats to lead ongoing reforms — this patriotic consequential reset agenda aimed at restoring the image of our diplomatic missions abroad cannot be reduced to “jobs for the boys.”"

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On May 26, the minister announced the temporary closure of the embassy due to a corruption scandal involving one Mr. Fred Kwarteng, a local staff member recruited on August 11, 2017, to work in the embassy’s IT department.

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To aid further probe, all Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff posted to the Washington embassy were recalled home with immediate effect. Also, the IT department was dissolved, and all locally recruited staff at the embassy have been suspended.

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About two days ago, the ministry announced the reversal of the minister’s decision, and Ghana's Embassy in Washington DC, was reopened yesterday, May 29, after a team of seasoned diplomats led by an astute diplomat was tasked to run the mission.

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Details of Mr Kwarteng's activities

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Mr Kwarteng is said to have created an unauthorized link on the embassy’s website which diverted visa and passport applicants to his company, Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC) where he charged extra for multiple services on the blind side of the ministry and kept the entire proceeds in his private account.

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His illegal extra charges, which were not approved by the ministry and parliament as required under the Fees and Charges Act ranges from US$29.75 to US$60 per applicant.

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"The investigations reveal that he and his collaborators operated this illegal scheme for at least 5 years," Mr Ablakwa revealed.

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Mr Fred Kwarteng has been fired, and his conduct has been reported to the Attorney-General, Dr Dominic Ayine, for possible prosecution and retrieval of funds obtained through fraudulent schemes.

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The Auditor-General has been invited to conduct a forensic examination of all transactions and to determine the total cost of this fraudulent scheme.

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Further recent development

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Deputy Minority Leader in Parliament Hon. Patricia Appiagyei announced that the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, will be summoned before the House to provide an explanation over the closure of Ghana's embassy in Washington, DC that recently began operations.

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Hon Appiagyei described the action taken by the foreign minister as reckless and diplomatically costly, considering that he failed to consult parliament.

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During a media briefing by both caucuses in Parliament on issues programmed to be considered on the floor of the House at the Second Meeting of the First Session of the 9th Parliament of the Fourth Republic on May 28, Honorable Patricia said:

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"...the Minority Caucus will initiate efforts to invite the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to explain his actions regarding the closure of the Embassy."

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Meanwhile, the Majority Caucus has backed the sector minister for his decision to close the embassy in question.

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Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Parliament, Hon. Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, who engaged the media, noted that the closure was a necessary step to address “frontline activities and corrupt practices."

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“The reasons for which the closure became necessary are known to all of us. The Minister has followed information from the Embassy concerning frontline activities, corrupt practices, and made that decision to close the Embassy to ensure that we reset activities… to the highest professional levels," he said.

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