Ghana's Washington DC Embassy Staff Exposed in Visa Extortion Scandal
A forensic audit by the Auditor-General has revealed an elaborate scheme adopted by the Ghana Embassy staff in Washington, D.C., to share the money the embassy extorted from visa and passport applicants between 2019 and 2025.
$19.4 Million Extortion Scandal Uncovered
The audit, which covers operations at the embassy from 2017 to 2025, revealed disturbing details of financial and other schemes that embassy officials designed and generated millions of dollars outside approved charges. The audit report puts the total amount of illegal funds at $19.4 million, generated from 2019 to 2025, when the illicit transactions at the Embassy were uncovered and halted by the new administration.
The report revealed that embassy officials, including senior staff, were involved in the scam, which used websites and firms linked to the embassy's IT Officer, Fred Kwarteng. These entities charged applicants $29.75 for the return posting of their visa and passport applications, when the actual charge was around $10.1.
GhanaPV.Org: A Mysterious Website Used to Extort Applicants
Websites and firms linked to the embassy's IT Officer, Fred Kwarteng, were used to charge applicants $29.75 for the return posting of their visa and passport applications, when the actual charge was around $10.1. For instance, the report revealed the creation and use of the GhanaPV.Org website, which was used to mimic the Embassy's official website and confuse unsuspecting applicants into believing they were dealing with official channels.
Senior Embassy Officials Complicit in Extortion Scheme
According to the audit report, senior embassy officials were complicit in the activities of Fred Kwarteng, including the Minister (Consular) and the Chief Treasury Officer. The report states that email correspondence and internal records show that the activities of Mr. Kwarteng were enabled through financial and consular channels involving senior Mission officers.
The report also revealed that the Ghana Embassy in Washington, D.C., created a bank account through which funds from Fred Kwarteng's activities were channelled and paid to embassy officials under the guise of "welfare benefits." Even before the then Foreign Affairs Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, ordered the closure of the account, Citibank, where the Welfare account was opened, had raised queries about the account.
Citibank Queries Embassy Officials Over Suspicious Account
On March 16, 2020, Janet Maku Koranteng, the Treasury Officer of Ghana's Embassy in Washington, D.C, wrote to Citibank about the opening of an account. In that letter, she said: "On behalf of the Ghana Embassy/Mission in Washington DC, this letter is to advise that effective date April 1, 2020, you are requested to open a new account titled Embassy of Ghana Welfare Account."
The first query from Citibank was an email from a Citibank staff member, Melissa Peredo, seeking clarification on whether the $80,000 intended to be withdrawn every quarter from the Welfare account as payment for staff welfare would be made in cash or by cheque.
What's Next?
The Auditor-General's report has exposed a grand scheme to "create, loot and share," with the active participation of senior embassy officials. The report's findings are a stark reminder of the need for transparency and accountability in the conduct of public affairs. The Ghanaian government must take swift and decisive action to address the findings of the report and ensure that those responsible are held accountable for their actions.
Source: Joy Online
