Mr Patrick Boamah, a member of the Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee in Parliament, Tuesday, urged Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to immediately reopen Ghana’s Embassy in Washington, D.C. citing concerns over diplomatic tact and potential damage to Ghana’s international reputation.
The embassy’s closure follows alleged revelations of a long-running fraudulent scheme involving a locally recruited IT staff member, Fred Kwarteng, who allegedly created an unauthorized link on the embassy’s website to redirect visa and passport applicants to his private company.
The scheme was believed to have gone undetected for at least five years.
Addressing some members of the Parliamentary Press Corps in Parliament, Mr Boamah said: “The mission ought to be reopened immediately for business to continue while investigations go on,”
“The minister has every power to deploy the force of state to ensure that those behind the allegation or alleged offence are brought to book,” he added.
Mr Boamah said the importance of handling diplomacy with care, saying, “Diplomacy requires some tactfulness to ensure that our image globally is protected.”
He also highlighted potential implications for bilateral and business relations, noting that individuals with business arrangements in Ghana may have their plans jeopardized.
“It’s been more than 72 hours, and if somebody has a business to do in Ghana and made arrangements to come to Ghana to meet the business community, or any CSO or media or whatever institution, that person’s arrangement has been put into jeopardy.
“That is why I am calling on the minister to immediately reopen the Embassy, put in place the right staff that he feels are appropriate in the interim. For all of you know, after the investigations, none of the foreign service officers would have been involved, and it will lead to giving them a bad name,” he said.