Embattled IT Officer Caught with Blank Passports and Visa Stickers in

Fred Kwarteng, the IT officer at Ghana's Embassy in Washington, DC, had blank biometric passport booklets, active passport materials, and visa stickers in his office when auditors conducted a forensic audit. The discovery was made during a special audit covering the period from January 2017 to June 2025.

Blank Passport Booklets and Visa Stickers Uncovered in IT Officer's Office

Auditors recovered 18 passport booklets from Mr. Kwarteng's office, including four blank biometric passport booklets. One of the blank booklets contained his own image, while the remaining active passport booklets could not be accounted for. The auditors also found 59 used and unused visa stickers, which are supposed to be tightly controlled.

Biometric passport booklets are sensitive security documents issued by the Government of Ghana and require strict custody, inventory management, and accountability procedures. Every booklet received, issued, or held in storage at a diplomatic mission is expected to be properly accounted for.

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Signs of Removal of Digital Records

The auditors also uncovered what appeared to be attempts to conceal digital records in Mr. Kwarteng's office. His desktop computer was found without an internal Solid-State Drive (SSD), the component responsible for storing files and system information. The primary storage device had been removed, leaving the computer without its internal storage medium.

The removal of the SSD, combined with the presence of multiple storage devices, created concerns that sensitive consular information may have been copied, removed, altered, or destroyed before the inspection. The audit report said, "Examination of the office environment revealed signs of disruption and disorder consistent with a hurried removal of equipment and documents."

Circumstances Surrounding the Discovery

The possession of blank passport booklets and visa stickers became more significant because Mr. Kwarteng also provided visa and passport application support services through a private company whose website he directed traffic to from the official website of Ghana's Embassy in Washington, D.C. The circumstances surrounding the materials found in his office "presuppose" that Mr. Kwarteng may have been engaged in fraudulent issuance of passports and visas outside official Embassy processes.

A source who worked at the embassy at the time, however, told Pledge Against Corruption that the auditors' conclusion may be wrong. The source explained that Fred Kwarteng often liaised with printers of Ghana's passport booklets, so there was a time when some errors occurred during the printing process, resulting in discrepancies in serial numbers.

Forensic Examination of Passport Booklets

A forensic examination of 15 empty passport booklets retrieved during the investigation confirmed that they were genuine Ghana passport stock. The booklets contained standard security features, including Supreme Court watermarks, UV-responsive elements featuring the Parliament House, Coat of Arms, and Fawohodie symbol, as well as micro-text reading "Republic of Ghana."

However, seven of the 15 booklets examined had security deficiencies on their biodata pages. The identified defects included the absence of polycarbonate overlay, missing thermochromic print, missing Optical Variable Ink (OVI), irregular Machine-Readable Zone (MRZ) alignment, and cancellation markings.

Next Steps in the Investigation

The investigation into the matter is ongoing. The Embassy has been unable to explain how blank biometric passport booklets came into Mr. Kwarteng's custody or why earlier recommendations on inventory control had not been implemented. The auditors have recommended stronger controls, including setting appropriate reorder levels based on usage and ensuring proper reconciliation of passport inventory.

Source: JOY