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 Auditor-General of Ghana has uncovered 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. The audit revealed that applicants were redirected from the Embassy's official website to privately controlled platforms, where they were charged additional fees for passport and visa dispatch, application support services, and online payment processing.
The irregular charges were made possible through the manipulation of the Embassy's website and the use of unauthorized external platforms. The audit identified mailing and dispatch charges as the largest component of the irregular fees, with applicants paying US$6,945,554 in mailing and dispatch fees, exceeding the estimated actual postage cost by US$4,587,567.60.
Additionally, the audit uncovered operational problems at the Embassy, including a backlog of 12,721 visa and passport applications, resulting in delays, complaints, and additional administrative costs.
Brief written by urgent.news from GBC Ghana's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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