Ambassador Koranteng Rejects Russian Investigators

Officials from the Federal Security Service (FSB) and Krasnoprenja District Police said that they have received a credible information about an unspecified amount of cash that went missing separately in the official residence of Ghana's Ambassador to Moscow in the Russian Federation, Dr Seth Koranteng, and at the Moscow's airport during his July trip to Accra, Ghana.

The FSB explained further that they have noticed that Dr Koranteng during most of his previous trips has been carrying regularly huge amount of cash through the airport VIP lounge, citing an incident that happened when the ambassador carried a luggage with huge amount of cash to board a private plane with high ranking LukOil officials in Moscow. Ambassador's action embarrassed LukOil officials when his luggage full of cash was dictated by the airport security.

However, a source inside the Ghana Embassy in Moscow explained that the cash was for some government ministers whose ministries had signed business contracts with investors, permitting them to transact businesses in Ghana.

Back during the official ceremony in 2009, President John Atta Mills called on the newly appointed Ghana's High Commissioners and Ambassadors to help government achieve its agenda of building a better Ghana. He told them that they were chosen for the confidence government had in them, therefore, they should put Ghana first above any other interest in their foreign assignments.

Mr. Victor Gbeho, Presidential Advisor on Foreign Policy, further advised them to be cautious of the manner they operate adding "You are the ears and eyes of the government and people of Ghana in your countries of accreditation." He advised them "to be wary of temptations that might come their way, be careful of their spending and endeavour to seek the interest and welfare of Ghanaians in the countries they have been posted to."

An investigative Russian reporter from Russkaya Delovaya Gazetta and a lady from Intefax News Agency were turned away when they visited the embassy recently on assignment, according to an insider source. The source further said that Dr Koranteng convened a meeting and unreservedly warned the staff to desist from discussing all matters, both official and private, concerning the embassy diplomats. A Russian employee also pointed out an increasingly deepening rift between Dr Koranteng and the Deputy Head of Mission, Godwin Baletum Amonzem over business deals and many other issues.

There are confirmed observations among the embassy workers, too, that Mr Amonzem has constantly locked up horns with Dr Koranteng and Mr Rashid Insah over handling matters, and that Mr Rashid Insah wields a controlling power due to the dubious relationship between him and the ambassador.

"The current impasse can't be resolved and it's worsening each passing working day. There will not be any meaningful relationship among them except to make new replacement and restart the game with new players with a refined class of diplomacy," one of the Ghanaian students' leaders told me in a recent chat inside the mission premises.

According to a secretary at the embassy, Dr Koranteng has refused Russian investigators to look into the case of cash that he had claimed went missing. She said if he claimed any loss of money then he should allow, at least, local Russian security to investigate the case, adding maybe "for fear of implications and ultimate consequences."

As a preliminary step to trace the missing cash, the First Secretary (Consular and Education), Mr Abdul-Bassit Rashid Inusah, used the national passport of Mr Kingsley Ahenkorah, who was suspected of the theft, to access and check his two private bank accounts at SouthSea Highways (CMP) Bank and VTB-24 Bank, both located at Sadovnicheskaya Street in central Moscow. On the instructions of the Ambassador, Mr Ahenkorah was later despatched for further interrogation and questioning by local security officials in Accra, Ghana, according to inside sources.

While researching for facts about the reported theft or missing cash, locally employed staff narrated many incredible and endless stories involving the Ghanaian diplomats including the rush for "brown envelopes" from potential foreign investors and company directors who want to do business in Ghana.

Interestingly, in another story, a member of the Ghanaian Community allegedly mentioned extra-marital sexual activities of Mr Rashid Inusah with ladies in exchange for signing and issuing documents. Most recently, Ghanaian students here reportedly said Mr Rashid Inusah sexually assaulted, sex-raped and disvirgined a Ghanaian pastor's daughter. Dr Seth Koranteng had to plead on his behalf.

"Instead of raising the image, the diplomats are rather spoilling the name of the country, They are not bothered by any of their actions and behaviour. They only think of their individual self-centered interests and, what's worse, they are quarelling among themselves and absolutely forgotten the reasons why they are here." a local Russian staff said assertively.

A Ghanaian employee said in remarks: "We suspect money trafficking and human trafficking, groups of Ghanaians arrive on Russian visas presumably either as students or as guests, stay for a while in the residence, then leave for London. We have seen them from Accra-Moscow-London and wondered how each time different groups came and left, it happens regularly."

Some of the non-diplomatic employees there (such as drivers, cleaners, security and secretaries) work in the lower stream, but are also very intelligent and highly knowledgeable and can analyse complex situations. Never underestimate them at all! They can discern the bad from the good, distinguish between the devils and the angels. Unbelieveably, they have huge undisclosed information and are reliable sources of untold stories about the diplomats.

Many of the stories could not be verified immediately. But, an executive member of the Ghanaian Community, who is close to the officials, described some of the cases as "rumours" but added that it's only Hon. President (Professor) John Atta Mills who can deal swiftly with the most serious cases if he really wanted to deliver on his promise and commitment to root out corrupt National Democratic Congress (NDC) members and endemic corruption that has enguled the country, now that election year draws nearer.

Dr Seth Koranteng, a former senior medical police officer, owns a private clinic and he is a staunch member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). He was appointed by Mr John Atta Mills as a top-diplomat in 2009 and posted to Moscow. He has recently divorced his wife, Janet Koranteng, due to a fierce family row over financial matters. His battered and angry wife has since left Moscow to back Ghana.

In July 2011, Atta Mills won the NDC congress when he ran against Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings for the National Democratic Congress flagbearership. He won by 2,771 votes representing 96.9% of total votes cast, allowing him to run for the second term while corruption practices among NDC members has skyrocked. Berlin based Transparency International (TI), in 2010, ranked Ghana 62th position on its corruption index.

By Johannes Ofuku Appeah

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