Ghana's foreign minister announced in an investigation into alleged visa fraud that the country has temporarily closed its embassy in the US capital.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said the embassy will be closed following the “bad findings” of the audit team compiled to investigate alleged corruption in Washington's diplomatic mission.
The closure will last “a few days” until “rebuilding and system overhaul” is complete.
According to Ablakwa, locally recruited staff and “collaborators” were involved in a “fraudulent” scheme, which extracted money from visa and passport applicants.
The scheme is said to consist of creating fraudulent links on the embassy website to redirect visa and passport applicants to private companies “who were charged extra fees for multiple services” without knowledge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ablakwa added that the scheme has been going on for five years, saying staff members “maintained the entire revenue” on their private accounts.
Applicants seeking a visa were charged unauthorized fees from private companies, ranging from nearly $30 (£22) to $60.
“This action has been reported to the Attorney General about the prosecution and the possibility of recovery of funds obtained through fraudulent schemes,” Abrakwa added.
As a result, Washington's Foreign Office staff were “recalled to the home” and “all staff hired in the local embassy have been suspended,” Ablakwa said.
“The President (John) Mahama government continues to demonstrate zero tolerance against corruption, naked conflicts of interest and blatant abuse of duties.”
