Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa on Monday announced the temporary closure of the Ghanaian embassy in Washington, D.C. for “restructuring and systems overhaul” after some alleged corrupt practices emerged.
Ablakwa announced the decision on X, formerly Twitter, saying that a special audit team found that a local staffer in the embassy’s IT department created an unauthorized link on the embassy’s website which diverted visa and passport applicants to his company, where he charged extra for multiple services on the blind side of the ministry and kept the entire proceeds in his private account.
“The investigations reveal that he and his collaborators operated this illegal scheme for at least five years,” he said.
The minister said all foreign ministry staff posted to the embassy have been recalled home with immediate effect, and the embassy’s IT department has been promptly dissolved.
“Ghana’s embassy in Washington, D.C. shall be closed for a few days from today as we finalize the ongoing restructuring and systems overhaul,” he said.
The minister added that the Ghanaian government will continue to demonstrate zero tolerance for corruption, naked conflict of interest, and blatant abuse of office. Enditem
Source: Xinhua
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