Hajia Alima Mahama asserted that Fred Kwarteng’s company Ghana Travel Consult, had no access to the embassy’s accounts.
She further boldly stated there was no possibility of funds being diverted into his personal account.
According to Hajia Alima Mahama, Fred Kwarteng was contracted by Ghana’s Washington DC embassy company to provide services to visa and passport applicants by dispatching their passports to them.
Speaking in a Joy News interview, Hajia Alima Mahama detailed, “Under my watch, there was no such thing. How can you divert funds? When you apply for a visa, you pay online. We don’t receive cash or checks. So, you pay online and it goes directly into the embassy’s account for the visa processing. We have an account for that”.
“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”.
She added, “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”.
“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, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa the Minister of Foreign Affairs has revealed former Head of IT at Ghana’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., Fred Kwarteng earned $4.8 million annually.
The sector minister 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.
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa stated, “EOCO has been petitioned to probe Alfred Kwarteng, trace the proceeds of crime, and have him brought to Ghana for prosecution”.
“I underscore that Felix Kwarteng, the principal suspect in this case, along with any accomplices, will be held fully accountable under the law. This includes cooperating with US authorities to freeze the accounts linked to this criminal enterprise”.
