A Senior Fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs, Dr Vladimir Antwi-Danso, has said that the alleged corrupt practices that took place at the Ghanaian embassy in Washington DC in the USA and its subsequent closure will have repercussions for the country.

Describing the incident as unfortunate, Dr Antwi-Danso shared the view that this would draw heightened scrutiny from the United States of America (USA).

According to him, the actions of the staff at the embassy to a large extent, have tarnished the country’s reputation and image, and it will therefore be very difficult for Ghana to redeem its good image.

“It is unfortunate that we had this situation. When I read about it, I did not want to believe it because how can such a big scandal happen in a big place like Washington DC. Well, it is damaging and I think the foreign service officers who were serving there have disgraced Ghana. To a very large extent, it's going to be very difficult to redeem that image. America would now be putting their lenses on Ghana for a long time,” he stated in an interview with GhanaWeb on May 27, 2025.

Dr Antwi-Danso recounted a similar incident involving the Ghanaian embassy, where he said, it was allegedly fined.

He added that the previous incident, coupled with the recent one, has placed Ghana in a difficult position.

He explained that even after many years, that stain will remain on the country and will continue to be associated with the embassy for a long time.

“This is not the first time. There was a time, when I was in the United States for further studies. There was a case in which the Ghana embassy was fined because we were using asbestos. Our building was roofed with asbestos and American law forbade any roof to have asbestos. We didn't remove them early, so we were fined. Some embassies may have scandals but it depends on how we handle it. This is a scandal which is too bad, and it will be very difficult to redeem the image,” he said.

He noted that staff who will be sent there would have to behave well to make up for the scandal which has left a certain impression about the embassy.

“Those who will be sent later on, in fact, generations upon generations will have this scandal on their neck. In international relations when scandals occur, you scoop yourself out by behaving well. You do not redeem your image by paying anybody, it is for you to you pay back with credible behaviour in the future. It is as simple as that”, he explained.

Dr Antwi-Danso further went on to caution that anything beyond addressing the alleged cases of corrupt practices which led to the shutdown of the Ghanaian embassy in Washington DC, could be detrimental to the country.

“I strongly suspect that there are laid down principles within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and within our Ghanaian laws to check such breaches. I cannot sit down here and prescribe punishments. The process must go through the mill because any other actions which unduly affect the personnel can also have repercussions - especially if it breaches their human rights.

“So, there must be something within the code of conduct or some measures, unknown to me, that they are going to use. Anything born out of political vindictiveness or that sort of thing will be detrimental to us. It can harm our ministry, our image and everything. So, I believe that they must use the rod and the cane they know and no other cane,” he said.

Watch his interview below:



MAG/VPO

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