ISTANBUL 

Ghana has temporarily shut down its embassy in Washington after a local staffer was found to be running a corruption scheme, Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said on Monday.

Fred Kwarteng, a local IT employee recruited in 2017 at the embassy, was “immediately dismissed” following an investigation which uncovered that he created an unauthorized link on the embassy’s website redirecting visa and passport applicants to his private company, Ablakwa said in a statement on Facebook.

The minister said he formed a special audit team months ago to investigate “alleged corrupt practices” at the embassy and referred the case to the attorney-general for “possible prosecution and retrieval of funds obtained through fraudulent schemes.”

Ablakwa said Kwarteng and his collaborators operated this “illegal scheme” for at least five years, secretly charging applicants $29.75 to $60 in unauthorized fees, which were kept in his private account.

He said all Foreign Ministry personnel at the embassy were “immediately recalled,” the IT department “promptly dissolved,” and all locally recruited staff suspended.

Ablakwa added that the embassy will remain closed “for a few days” as they “finalize the ongoing restructuring and systems overhaul.”