"EOCO Will Catch Up With You": Ablakwa Tells Former Ghana Ambassador to the US

• Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has accused former Ghana Ambassador to the US, Hajia Alima Mahama, of enabling corruption
• Ablakwa alleged that Alima Mahama attempted to undermine the ministry’s investigations and downplay the magnitude of the corruption uncovered
• The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has taken up the case, with the former ambassador set to be held accountable for her actions

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, has accused the former Ghana Ambassador to the US, Hajia Alima Mahama, of enabling corruption at the Embassy in Washington DC.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, June 26, 2025, the minister, who also serves as the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, alleged that Hajia Alima Mahama attempted to discredit the ministry's investigations and downplayed the magnitude of corruption uncovered at the embassy.

Mr Ablakwa consequently disclosed that the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) had taken up the matter, promising that the former Ambassador to the US would be held accountable for her actions.

Read also

Adventist SHS: Suzzy Adwoa Pinamang undergoes successful eye surgery in the UK, now recovering

"We have provided Parliament with a full report of the fact-finding mission. The levels of corruption and conflict of interest we uncovered were absolutely egregious. No responsible leadership, when confronted with such rot, would choose to look the other way," he said.

Ablakwa speaks on visa scandal

The Foreign Affairs Minister made these remarks while updating the country on the investigations conducted into the visa scandal that recently hit the Ghana Embassy in Washington DC.

He explained that the visa scandal dated back to 2019, when a locally recruited IT staff member of the embassy, Fred Kwarteng, created an unauthorised link on the embassy's official website.

According to the minister, Fred Kwarteng diverted 99 percent of visa and passport application traffic to his private firm, known as Travel Ghana Secured Data Centre.

He said the embassy became aware of the breach on November 19, 2019, and issued a query letter later.

Read also

Police rescue boy subjected to harsh punishment for allegedly stealing GH¢200, make 2 arrests

Mr. Ablakwa said Fred Kwarteng had admitted to diverting visa and passport traffic to his private company in his response to the query.

"What is worse is that instead of putting an end to this illegality, Ambassador Alima Mahama, in 2023, signed a contract with the same Fred Kwarteng to legitimise his operations. How does an ambassador sign such a sweetheart deal with a staff member who had already been accused of undermining the state's interest? This is a classic case of conflict of interest," he said.

"I can understand why she's desperately moving from one radio station to another because she knows she's really in hot water. The ongoing EOCO investigations will soon catch up with her. But she should not be peddling falsehoods. She should not distort what the fact-finding team discovered, and she should not downplay the gravity of the infractions and breaches at stake in this matter," he added.

Read also

"Jean Mensah, Bossman Asare and Samuel Tettey must go": Asiedu Nketia demands shake-up at EC

188 Ghanaians in the US face deportation

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported that the government said 188 Ghanaians were on a US deportation list following the immigration crackdown.

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa stated that Ghana worked closely with US authorities on the matter.

Ablakwa also confirmed that Ghana faced the possibility of visa sanctions from the US following its inclusion on a watchlist.

Source: YEN.com.gh