Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has made startling revelations about massive financial losses at Ghana’s Embassy in the United States, alleging that the mission has been losing approximately $4.8 million annually due to fraud.
Ablakwa described what he termed a shocking pattern of corruption and mismanagement at Ghana’s diplomatic outpost in Washington, D.C.
He said preliminary investigations and documents at his disposal indicate that these losses have persisted over several years through questionable rental arrangements and revenue diversion.
According to the North Tongu lawmaker, who has gained a reputation for uncovering financial improprieties in government, the fraudulent schemes largely relate to the leasing of properties owned by the Ghanaian state. These properties, located in prime areas of Washington, D.C., were allegedly rented out to private tenants with proceeds unaccounted for or significantly underreported.
He further indicated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration will take swift action to investigate the conduct of embassy staff and all parties involved, including private agents or intermediaries who may have facilitated the deals.
Ablakwa also called on the Economic and Organised Crime Office, the Attorney-General and the Ministry of Justice to intervene, arguing that the magnitude of the losses requires not only a financial review but also possible criminal prosecution of culprits especially carry out forensic investigations and trace proceeds made by Fred Kwarteng, a dismissed IT officer of the Ghana Mission in Washington DC.
He explained that the two institutions must prosecute Kwarteng and his network of collaborators to determine the total cost of all transactions carried out under the corrupt scheme.
“EOCO has been formally notified to pursue Fred Kwarteng and trace the proceeds of crime and to have him brought to Ghana for prosecution,” he said.
“Given that these are funds that were derived from unauthorised operations, it has become imperative to invite the EOCO and the Attorney General to investigate, trace the proceeds, and prosecute Fred Kwarteng and his collaborators as instructed by the President,” he said when he briefed Parliament on the temporary closure and subsequent reopening of Ghana’s mission in Washington, DC.
Ablakwa also gave an assurance that in a bid to hold Kwarteng accountable under the law, the ministry was cooperating with US authorities to freeze any accounts linked to the criminal enterprise.
He told the House that Fred Kwarteng earned substantial sums annually after adding fees for assisting applicants in completing their visa and passport forms, for which he charged between $60 and $100.
By conservative analysis, he said Fred Kwarteng was making about $4.8 million annually from his unlawful enterprise.
“It is important to emphasise that there was no share of this amount to the ministry,” he added.
He indicated that Fred Kwarteng’s company operated from offices located about a 40-minute drive from the embassy, raising concerns regarding the nature of that arrangement and the extent of oversight exercised by the embassy.
On May 26, 2025, Ablakwa dismissed Fred Kwarteng from the IT Department at the Ghana Embassy in Washington, DC, over a visa and passport scam.
Kwarteng, hired on August 11, 2017, allegedly set up an unauthorised link on the embassy’s website, redirecting visa and passport applicants to his private company, Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC).
There, Kwarteng charged unapproved fees ranging from $29.75 to $60 per applicant, violating the Fees and Charges Act.
“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,” Ablakwa revealed.
The audit report and Kwarteng’s own admission exposed the scheme, which operated for over five years, with all funds allegedly diverted into his personal account.
