Corruption at the Ghana Embassy: A Scandal of Corruption Leaves Hundreds Stranded at Ghana’s Embassy in Washington, D.C.
The sudden closure of Ghana’s embassy in Washington, D.C., has left scores of citizens stranded; many of them had travelled from all across the United States to pick up their visas and passports.
Applicants gathered outside the locked embassy, frustrated. “I travelled from Michigan by plane, but the embassy abruptly closed without any explanation,” Derrick expressed.
There were only shut doors and no email or alarm. Eventually, I gave a ride to some people who were similarly stranded.
Even Gift, a visitor from Atlanta, felt disheartened. “My passport renewal appointment was scheduled. Now that I’m travelling to Ghana with my adopted parents for the first time, everything seems uncertain.
Others reported that embassy employees had not given them any advance information, and they arrived from California, Georgia, and New York.
Following a devastating audit that was undertaken by Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and exposed a fraudulent visa scam operated by a local IT staffer, the closure was made.
According to allegations, a local employee and his associates steered candidates to a private business for at least five years, where they collected illegal fees and kept the money for themselves.
As a result, Ablakwa fired employees, summoned back all foreign ministry employees, suspended local hires, shut down the IT division, and asked the Auditor-General to carry out a forensic investigation.
For the duration of a comprehensive systems overhaul, the embassy will stay closed.
Despite President Mahama’s administration’s vow of zero tolerance for corruption, the damage to stranded travelers has already occurred. “We favor the cleanup,” Derrick stated, “but this could have been handled much more effectively.”
