The former Ambassador to the United States of America, Hajia Alima Mahama, has refuted corruption allegations by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, involving a dismissed IT staff member at the Ghanaian Embassy in Washington DC, Fred Kwarteng.

Hajia Alima Mahama clarified that Kwarteng, and his company, Ghana Travel Consult, had no access to the embassy’s accounts, suggesting that there was no possibility of funds being diverted into his personal account.

During a JoyNews interview on June 19, 2025, Hajia Mahama explained that all visa application payments are made online and it go directly into the embassy’s account, as the embassy does not accept cash or checks.

“Under my watch, there was no such thing. How can you divert funds? When you apply for visa, you pay online. We don't receive cash or check. So, you pay online and it goes directly into the embassy's account for the visa processing. We have an account for that,” she explained.

She further noted that once online payments are made, Merchant Services processes them, with the funds directed straight into the embassy’s account.

She emphasised that the embassy undergoes regular audits, noting that any irregularities such as the diversion of funds would have been flagged by the auditors.

She, however, noted that Fred Kwarteng only handled payments made directly to him for courier services, a function the embassy itself did not engage in.

“And the Merchant Services in this account will work on it and then post all the money into the Ghana account and so, he has no access to our account. We have auditors coming to check every year in Ghana and no auditor has told us that there's any money diverted.

“But I'm saying that if he says he wants to do an investigation, let him do it. Let's all hold him to the report of the investigation. It is not possible. The only money that he has access to is the money that is paid for the courier service and that courier service, is not the embassy’s work. We do not provide courier service. So, whatever he's paid for, it is his money,” she said.

“Controller and Accountant General department have senior accountants managing the account in Washington. Controller and Accountant General would not even allow them to divert any money. In the US, you cannot just come and siphon money from any Ghana account. It's not possible,” Alima Mahama added.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, confirmed that a formal petition has been submitted to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to investigate Fred Kwarteng over allegations of financial impropriety and abuse of office.

MAG/VPO

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