Ghana’s Embassy in the United States has rejected attempts to associate Ambassador Victor Emmanuel Smith with financial irregularities identified in a recent forensic audit of the mission, stressing that he assumed office in Washington, D.C., in September 2025, after the period covered by the review.
In a statement issued in response to comments circulating on social media, the Embassy specifically addressed a post by former British High Commissioner to Ghana Jon Benjamin, who it said had alleged that the conduct under review was at its worst under the current Ambassador. The Mission described the assertion as “wholly without foundation” and said Ambassador Smith had neither responsibility for nor oversight of the activities examined by the audit.
“Of particular concern is a social media publication by the former British High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr. Jon Benjamin, alleging that the conduct under review was at its worst under the current Ambassador to the United States. This assertion is wholly without foundation.” the statement read
The Auditor-General’s Special Audit Report on the Embassy of Ghana in Washington, D.C. covers the period from January 2017 to June 2025 and was among reports submitted to Parliament in 2026. The audit therefore predates Ambassador Smith’s assumption of office.
The Embassy stated that Ambassador Smith took office after a new team of Foreign Service officers had been posted to Washington in June 2025 with a mandate to address longstanding administrative concerns and strengthen the Mission’s internal systems. The statement said the reforms preceded his arrival and formed part of measures to restore discipline and improve operations.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Ambassador Smith assumed office in Washington, D.C., in September 2025, after the period covered by the audit. He neither exercised responsibility for nor had oversight of the activities under examination.”
“It is also worthy of recollection that, in June 2025, a new team of Foreign Service officers was posted to the Embassy with a clear mandate to address longstanding administrative concerns and strengthen its internal systems ahead of Ambassador Smith’s assumption of office. ” the statement read
The audit itself identified US$19,379,765.23 in irregular financial exposure, according to reports on its findings. A substantial part of the amount related to consular services, including mailing and application-support charges associated with visa and passport applications. The audit found that applicants were redirected from the Embassy’s official website to external platforms where additional charges were imposed.
According to the reported findings, applicants were charged US$29.75 for return postage, while additional application-support fees of about US$67 for passport applications and up to US$76.78 for visa applications were also imposed. The Auditor-General classified the resulting difference between estimated proceeds and legitimate costs as irregular.
The audit identified TravelGhana.Net and GhanaPV.org among the external platforms involved and linked them to former Embassy Information Technology Officer Fred Kwarteng. Auditors found that redirects to the platforms were embedded in the Embassy’s website and that the sites used official symbols and presentation styles capable of giving applicants the impression that they were authorised government platforms.
The report also examined the role of senior officials who served at the Mission during the period under review. These included former Ministers responsible for Consular affairs Joseph Ngminebayihi and Amidu Mohammed Karande, whose respective tenures covered periods during which the external platforms were being used. The audit’s recommendations include recovery of irregular amounts and sanctions against affected officers.
Former Ambassador Alima Mahama, who served as Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States from 2021 to 2024, was also mentioned in the audit findings. Reports on the audit state that she signed a contract between the Embassy and Travel Ghana/Secure Data Centre relating to the outsourcing of passport and visa dispatch services.
The audit further identified operational problems at the Mission, including significant delays in the delivery of passports and visas. Between June and August 2025, reports on the audit indicate that 12,721 applications were backlogged, with 4,507 mailed while 8,214 were either collected personally or remained undelivered. The Mission subsequently incurred additional expenditure to help clear part of the backlog.
The controversy had already prompted significant intervention by the Foreign Ministry in May 2025, when the Embassy was temporarily closed and measures were announced to restructure its operations.
The Ministry subsequently deployed a new team and undertook reforms affecting the Mission’s information-technology and consular systems. Parliament’s record of the matter also records the Ministry’s investigation into the role of Fred Kwarteng and the contract involving Ghana Travel Consultants.
Against that background, the Embassy stated that Ambassador Smith’s tenure had instead been characterised by efforts to strengthen accountability, transparency and service delivery. It also pointed to his previous tenure as Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Ireland from 2014 to 2017, arguing that he had similarly worked within administrative reforms introduced before his assumption of office there.
“It is also worthy of recollection that, in June 2025, a new team of Foreign Service officers was posted to the Embassy with a clear mandate to address longstanding administrative concerns and strengthen its internal systems ahead of Ambassador Smith’s assumption of office.”
“A similar commitment to institutional discipline characterized Ambassador Smith’s tenure as Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Ireland from 2014 to 2017. Having assumed office following the introduction of administrative reforms, he provided firm leadership in ensuring strict adherence to the new measures” the Embassy stated
The Embassy said Ambassador Smith remained committed to public scrutiny and freedom of expression but cautioned against what it described as conjecture, innuendo and unsubstantiated allegations.
It maintained that the Ambassador had no oversight of the activities examined by the Washington audit because he assumed office after the period under review, and said he remained focused on strengthening the Mission’s operations and serving Ghana’s interests in the United States.
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