The Ghanaian government is working closely with U.S. authorities to freeze the bank accounts of Fredrick Kwarteng, the primary suspect in a visa and passport fraud scandal at Ghana’s Embassy in Washington, D.C. According to Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, this move is part of a broader effort to ensure accountability and bring all accomplices to justice.
“We will hold Felix Kwarteng, the principal suspect in this case, along with any accomplices, fully accountable under the law. This includes cooperating with US authorities to freeze the accounts linked to this criminal enterprise,” Mr. Ablakwa stated in Parliament.
The scandal led to the temporary shutdown of the embassy on May 26 after revelations of systemic abuse of office and fraudulent activity. An audit revealed that Kwarteng, a locally recruited IT staffer, had created an unauthorized link on the embassy’s website, diverting applicants to his private firm, Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC), where they were charged unapproved fees.
Mr. Ablakwa outlined the actions taken to address the scam: “I issued a series of directives, which are currently being enforced. One is an internal investigative committee to probe all locally recruited staff. EOCO has formally been notified to pursue Mr. Kwarteng, trace the prints of crime, and have him brought to Ghana for prosecution.”
The government aims to uncover the full extent of the scam and ensure that those responsible face justice.
