Staff of Ghana’s US Embassy Dismissed Over Alleged Fraud
A staff member of Ghana’s embassy in the United States of America (USA) has been dismissed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
According to a statement by the Minister, Fred Kwarteng was a local staff member recruited on August 11, 2017, to work in the embassy’s IT department.
A special audit by a team allegedly revealed that he 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.
“His illegal extra charges, which were not approved by the Ministry and Parliament as required under the Fees and Charges Act, range from US$29.75 to US$60 per applicant. The investigations reveal that he and his collaborators operated this illegal scheme for at least 5 years.”
After the dismissal, the North Tongu Constituency MP says the issue had been reported to the Office of the Attorney-General for possible prosecution and retrieval of funds obtained through fraudulent schemes.
Meanwhile, the embassy has been closed for a few days to make way for restructuring and systems overhaul after recalling all Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff posted to the Washington embassy; dissolving the embassy’s IT department; and suspending all locally recruited staff.
The Auditor-General has since been invited to conduct a forensic examination of all transactions and to determine the total cost of this elaborate fraudulent scheme.
Source: opemsuo.com / Hajara Fuseini
