EVIDENCE: How Ghana's Washington Embassy staff shared money extorted from visa and passport applicants

Ghana's Washington Embassy staff shared money extorted from visa and passport applicants between 2019 and 2025. A forensic audit by the Auditor-General revealed this scheme, covering operations from 2017 to 2025. The audit report, available to Pledge Against Corruption, puts the total amount of illegal funds at $19.4 million, generated from 2019 to 2025, when illicit transactions were uncovered and halted by the new administration.

Websites and firms linked to the embassy's IT Officer, Fred Kwarteng, were used to charge applicants $29.75 for return posting of visa and passport applications, when the actual charge was around $10.1. The GhanaPV.Org website was created to mimic the Embassy's official website. The Auditor-General's report stated: "The audit proved that Ghanapv.org, created in September 2020, replicated official Embassy branding by using Ghana's Coat of Arms, the name 'Embassy of Ghana,' and official contact details. The website redirected applicants from the Embassy's website to pay fees for postage and application support services. Applicants were charged $29.75 for return postage and additional support service fees through the platform. The site operated under many entities related to Mr Fred Kwarteng." Ghanapv.org operated under various companies linked to Fred Kwarteng, including Ghana T...