PAC Suspends Hearings on Washington Embassy, Games Audits
PAC Suspends Hearings on Washington Embassy, All African Games Audits
Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has put a pause on two closely watched audit reports the forensic audit of Ghana’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the audit of the 13th All African Games.The Auditor-General pulled both documents back for corrections.
PAC Chairperson Abena Osei-Asare made the announcement at the start of this round of PAC sittings, explaining that the Committee simply can’t move forward until revised, properly authorised versions of both reports are laid before Parliament.
She clarified the process behind each withdrawal the Auditor-General formally wrote to Parliament requesting the Embassy report be pulled back, while the All African Games report was stepped down following a debriefing with his office.
We will not be looking at these two reports until they are brought back to us again, the Atiwa East MP said.
Both reports had drawn intense public attention, for good reason.
The Washington Embassy audit covered the period from January 2017 to June 2025, and flagged roughly US$19.38 million in irregular transactions tied to visa and passport support services, mailing fees, and other charges. It followed allegations that Fred Kwarteng, a former locally recruited ICT staff member, had created an unauthorised link charging applicants extra fees without proper authorisation.
That scandal had serious consequences it forced government to temporarily close the mission on May 26, 2025, recall home-based staff, and suspend local staff while the matter was investigated.
The All African Games audit, meanwhile, uncovered procurement and spending irregularities spanning accommodation, catering, transport, equipment, and infrastructure. The Auditor-General recommended recovering more than GH¢579 million, along with US$44.35 million and €629,070, from three former officials implicated in the findings.
Osei-Asare was quick to stress that withdrawing these reports doesn’t mean parliamentary scrutiny stops here. Our position is that accountability requires agency, but credibility requires accuracy. And we will insist on both, she said.
She outlined what PAC will focus on once corrected versions of both reports come back primarily recovery of the funds involved, whether underlying system weaknesses have actually been fixed, whether previous recommendations have been implemented, and whether sanctions have followed in cases where wrongdoing was clearly established.
She also noted that the Committee intends to recognise institutions that have genuinely reformed, striking a balance between firmness and fairness in how accountability gets applied.
Public money must have a public account. Standards must lead to action, action must lead to results, and wrongdoing must lead to consequences, she said.
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