National Deputy Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Elikem Kotoko, has commended Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa for decisively shutting down Ghana’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., amid a corruption scandal, describing the move as a bold message that misconduct in foreign missions will not be tolerated.

Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Tuesday, May 27, Kotoko said the minister’s action demonstrates the seriousness with which the government is treating issues of integrity and accountability in diplomatic spaces.

“It is justified to commend Honourable Ablakwa for taking a step to nip whatever it is in the bud immediately before it blows out of proportion. People may have different views on what they think should be the appropriate approach, either based on interest, expertise, or political convenience, but at the moment, there can only be one approach to resolving the matter, which he is prepared to apply,” he stated.

He added that even if the minister had taken a different route, such as suspending the individual involved, it would still have attracted public commentary. According to him, the minister’s action sends a stronger message.

“If, because of one individual, you take such action, you are rather communicating to others that we do not take lightly any act of corruption in our foreign missions,” he added

The Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, on Monday, May 26, announced the temporary closure of Ghana’s embassy in Washington, D.C. The decision comes in the wake of a special audit that uncovered a fraudulent scheme involving unauthorised fees and abuse of office.

According to the audit report, the central figure in the scandal is Fred Kwarteng, a locally recruited IT staff hired in August 2017. Kwarteng reportedly created an unauthorised link on the embassy’s website, which redirected visa and passport applicants to his private company, Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC), where applicants were charged unapproved processing fees ranging from $29.75 to $60.

Ablakwa said the closure would allow for the finalisation of an ongoing systems overhaul and ensure a full restructuring of operations at the mission, terming the decision as regrettable but necessary to restore public confidence and protect Ghana’s image abroad.