The Deputy Ranking Member on Ghana’s Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, Nana Kwame Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, has expressed the Minority’s reservations about the government’s decision to temporarily close the Ghanaian Embassy in Washington, D.C., following the uncovering of a major corruption scandal.
While reiterating that the Minority is not opposed to punitive measures against wrongdoers, the Bosome Freho MP stressed the need for broader stakeholder engagement before such decisions are made.
[embedded content]“Let me first and foremost place on record that the Minority is not against the sanctions or the measures that are being taken to reprimand or punish wrongdoers — never. We are not against that. But we feel there should have been so much more consultation, so much more diplomacy and tactfulness in handling this matter,” he noted in an interview on Joy FM’s MiddayNews on Monday, May 26.
Mr Ayeh emphasised that “There’s a whole lot of strategic dealings that go on in an embassy. So, for you to come out and say that because of a certain fraud allegation, you are closing an entire embassy — that is an embodiment of a country in another man’s land — we disagree.”
He questioned the cost implications of even a temporary closure, urging the government to weigh the diplomatic and operational consequences of such a decision, adding that investigations can continue without bringing the embassy’s operations to a halt.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry, led by Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, announced the temporary closure of the Washington embassy effective Monday, May 26, 2025, as part of what it described as a “comprehensive restructuring and systems overhaul.”
This follows a special audit that uncovered fraudulent activity linked to a local staff member, Fred Kwarteng, who allegedly created an unauthorised payment portal to collect illegal fees from passport applicants.
Fees ranging between $29.75 and $60 were being charged without the approval of Ghana’s Fees and Charges Act, the minister revealed.
Mr Ayeh, however, raised concerns about the manner in which the closure and fraud revelations were publicly communicated, especially via social media.
“Investigations are ongoing, so why announce such sensitive details on social media? This will damage the country’s reputation,” he said. “Would any serious nation feel comfortable engaging an embassy that its own minister has publicly branded as fraudulent?”
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