A comprehensive forensic audit by the Auditor-General’s Office has uncovered a meticulously orchestrated scheme implemented by the Ghana Embassy in Washington, D.C., spanning from 2019 to 2025. The audit reveals a staggering $19.4 million in illegally generated funds, originating from visa and passport application fees, and represents a significant breach of financial regulations.
The audit report, available to the Pledge Against Corruption, details a complex web of transactions designed to maximize profits. The scheme began with the creation of a ‘GhanaPV.Org’ website, mimicking the Embassy’s branding and redirecting applicants to fraudulent fee-bearing platforms.
Specifically, the audit documents expose a system where Embassy officials, primarily Officer Fred Kwarteng, used websites like ‘TravelGhana.net’ to charge applicants $29.75 for return posting, a significantly lower fee than the actual cost of the service. This practice was repeated with various affiliated entities, including Ghana Travel Consultancy (GTC), Secure Data Center LLC, and others linked to Fred Kwarteng. The website’s redirection mechanism served as a crucial component of the scheme.
Key figures within the Embassy, including the Chief Treasury Officer and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, were implicated in the scheme. The audit highlights that the $80,000 intended for welfare benefits was diverted through a bank account linked to the ‘Embassy of Ghana Welfare Account,’ a scheme that began in 2020 and was subsequently shut down in June 2021.
The report indicates that the scheme was initiated with the intention to ‘create, loot, and share,’ leveraging financial channels and operational coordination involving senior embassy officials. Evidence suggests that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, specifically the Consul General, participated in and was copied on communications concerning private entities linked to Fred Kwarteng’s activities, diverting funds and services.
The audit revealed numerous instances of financial transactions, including emails and internal records documenting the arrangement. For instance, a correspondence between Janet Maku Koranteng, the Treasury Officer, and Citibank, revealed that the $80,000 intended for welfare benefits was channeled through a specific account and the account was not collected by the Embassy, rather, it was redirected to the Welfare account.
Furthermore, the audit identifies a significant number of transactions and related payments, including a $3.00 payment from Ghana Travel Consultancy LLC in December 2019, followed by $67.08 in January 2020, and $76.78 in February 2020. These payments were used to fund the welfare account, and the account’s initial funding came from the Embassy’s courier service.
The auditor’s report details that the scheme originated with a $80,000 annual welfare payment, with the money going to the Embassy’s welfare account. A key point was that the initial account was established through a bank account, and the money was routed through various entities.
The audit revealed that the initial account was opened on April 1, 2020, and the initial allocation of funds was based on a ‘Welfare’ account, and payments were made to the account from various sources. The $80,000 was used to fund the welfare payments to the Embassy staff, and the account was closed in June 2021. However, the scheme continued until 2025, when the audit exposed the illicit transactions that caused visa and passport application fees to be inflated.
The audit also points to the involvement of senior embassy officials, including Fred Kwarteng, in the scheme’s orchestration. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, ordered the closure of the welfare account, and the scheme continued until 2025.
The report also includes a detailed appendix outlining the disbursements to staff from the welfare account, which were funded by the various entities involved.
The investigation has uncovered a complex scheme to create, loot, and share funds, with the active participation of senior embassy officials. The audit is a significant step in uncovering the extent of the financial wrongdoing and has implications for the future of the Embassy’s operations.
The case underscores the importance of robust financial controls and transparency within government institutions, highlighting the need for thorough audits and investigations to prevent similar incidents from recurring. The findings underscore the need for stricter oversight of financial transactions and the protection of taxpayer funds.
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Source: MyJoyOnline
