Former Head of Information and Public Affairs at Ghana’s Embassy in Washington and New Patriotic Party (NPP) communicator, Kofi Tonto, has denied any involvement in an alleged fraudulent scheme said to have resulted in the loss of approximately US$19 million at the embassy.

Mr Tonto’s denial follows reports alleging that he received US$800 from funds linked to the purported scheme uncovered through a forensic audit conducted by the Ghana Audit Service into the affairs of the embassy between 2017 and 2025.

In a statement issued in Accra on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, Mr Tonto said he had never been involved in any scheme involving the sharing or receipt of illicit funds.

“I have never been involved in any scheme, the sharing of, or the receipt of any ill-obtained funds,” he said.

Mr Tonto also noted that he was not named as a person of interest for investigation in the audit report.

According to him, the US$800 he received in July 2021 was a legitimate child benefit payment following the birth of his daughter in January 2021.

He explained that the payment was part of an established practice at the embassy, noting that about 28 other staff members had also received similar benefits for various life-changing events.

He said he neither solicited the payment nor determined the amount, the receiving bank account or the source of the funds.

Mr Tonto therefore argued that the one-time US$800 payment could not be used as a basis to implicate him in an alleged fraudulent scheme involving US$19 million.

He further clarified that all payments he received during his tenure at the embassy—including compensation, allowances, benefits and refunds—were made in accordance with established procedures.

He said the payments he received between March 2019 and July 2021 were made in good faith and that he was never involved in decisions concerning the financial management of the embassy, particularly the operation or closure of any bank account.

Mr Tonto has consequently urged his family, friends, admirers and the general public to disregard what he described as a distorted narrative seeking to falsely attribute wrongdoing to him.

He maintained that the allegations do not accurately reflect his role or involvement in the affairs of Ghana’s Embassy in Washington.