Auditor-General uncovers US$19.3m in irregular charges at Ghana’s US Embassy
BY ASHIADEY DOTSE A forensic audit by the Auditor-General has uncovered nearly US$19.4 million in irregular charges paid by visa and passport applicants at Ghana’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., between 2019 and 2025. The audit found that applicants were redirected from the Embassy’s official website to privately controlled platforms, where they were charged additional fees […]
The Ghanaian Auditor-General has found nearly US$19.4 million in irregular charges paid by visa and passport applicants at the US Embassy in Washington, D.C. between 2019 and 2025. These unauthorized fees were charged via privately controlled platforms redirecting applicants from the Embassy's official website. Applicants were required to pay up to US$29.75 for passport or visa return, but actually paid about US$20 more due to the manipulation of the Embassy's website and use of unapproved platforms.
Mailing and dispatch fees accounted for the largest portion of the irregular charges, with over 170,000 visa mailing transactions processed. The audit also revealed additional fees for application support services and merchant fees through the Square payment platform, despite a lack of a formal contract. A backlog of 12,721 applications accumulated between June and August 2025, causing delays and additional administrative costs, despite applicants having paid for mailing services.
The Auditor-General recommends recovering the irregular amounts and sanctioning the responsible officials under the Cybersecurity Act.
Written by urgent.news from GBC Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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