A member of the Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee in Parliament, Patrick Boamah, has urged Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to immediately reopen Ghana’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., even as investigations into alleged corruption at the mission continue.
The embassy was temporarily shut down following revelations from a special audit that uncovered a long-running fraudulent scheme. The closure, according to the Ministry, forms part of a broader restructuring and systems overhaul.
However, Boamah, who is also the Member of Parliament for Okaikwei Central, criticised the minister’s decision, arguing that it lacked diplomatic tact and risks tarnishing Ghana’s international reputation.
Speaking to journalists in Accra on Tuesday, May 27, Boamah said: “The mission ought to be reopened immediately for business to continue whiles 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 that Parliament stands ready to support the fight against corruption but stressed that diplomacy must be handled with care.
“We will support to uncover whatever rot there is at the Embassy, anywhere in the Ministry or any agency under him. But he should know that diplomacy requires some tactfulness to ensure that our image globally is protected.”
Boamah also highlighted the potential implications of the closure for bilateral and business relations.
“…It’s been more than 72 hours, and if somebody has a business to do in Ghana and had made arrangements to come to Ghana to meet the business community, or any CSO or the 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 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.
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