Kwame Baffour Awuah Tabury, a Ghanaian businessman, says he has been left out of pocket by €29,050 (29,050 euros) after paying for 28 tonnes of mackerel in Mauritania in May 2024, in a transaction in which the goods were allegedly never delivered.
Mr Tabury says his attempts to recover the money have been marked by frustration and disappointment, despite seeking assistance from Ghana’s diplomatic representatives, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and several law enforcement agencies.
According to him, he paid the money to a Ghanaian national in Mauritania for the consignment of mackerel. When the goods were not delivered, he sought help to pursue the matter, citing his disability and the difficulty of travelling to and following up on the case personally in the West African country.
He later approached Ghana’s diplomatic channels, including the Ghana Mission in Bamako and Ghana’s Honorary Consul in Mauritania, hoping to recover the funds.
Mr Tabury said the Honorary Consul obtained a bank statement belonging to the individual involved in the transaction, which reportedly showed a balance of approximately €19,955.
He said they then discussed supervising the transfer of the money to him and securing an undertaking from the individual to pay the outstanding balance of approximately €9,000.
However, he alleged that neither arrangement materialised, leaving the financial dispute unresolved.
Mr Tabury also raised concerns about the handling of his request for consular assistance. He alleged that the Honorary Consul declined to write to the individual’s bank despite being asked to do so through the Ghana Mission.
He further alleged that information about a request to have the individual reported for arrest was disclosed to the person concerned. Mr Tabury said he had correspondence and voice recordings that could help establish the chronology of events and support an independent assessment of his claims.
The allegations concerning the handling of the matter have not been independently verified.
Petitions to authorities
Having failed to secure a resolution through the initial channels, Mr Tabury said he escalated his complaint to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Ministry acknowledged receipt of his complaint and indicated that it had sought comments from the relevant mission, according to his account.
He subsequently pursued the matter through the Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID), which he said investigated the case, obtained a warrant and forwarded the relevant process to INTERPOL Ghana.
INTERPOL Ghana reportedly engaged its counterpart in Mauritania as part of efforts to pursue the matter. Mr Tabury also sought assistance through other channels, including the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
His efforts extended to the Office of the Chief of Staff at the Presidency.
On February 25, 2025, the Centre for Public Interest Law (CEPIL) petitioned the Minister for Foreign Affairs on his behalf, copying the President and the Chief of Staff. The Chief of Staff subsequently wrote to the Foreign Affairs Minister, urging urgent action on the matter.
However, in a letter dated June 9, 2026, the Office of the Chief of Staff responded directly to Mr Tabury, describing the matter as an investment in Mauritania and advising him to pursue legal action. The office also referred him to the Ghana Medical Trust Fund for consideration.
Mr Tabury said the response had not resolved the central issue of recovering the money paid for the undelivered consignment.
Calls for accountability
Despite the involvement of several public institutions, Mr Tabury said the financial dispute remained unresolved and he was still seeking a clear outcome.
He is calling for an independent examination of the evidence, accountability where wrongdoing is established, and clarification on how his request for consular assistance was handled.
He believes the case raises broader questions about the protection available to Ghanaians conducting business abroad, the effectiveness of consular support and the accountability of institutions entrusted with assisting citizens in distress.
He has also drawn attention to the difficulties faced by persons with disabilities who must navigate complex diplomatic and law enforcement processes to seek redress in foreign jurisdictions.
Mr Tabury said he was prepared to provide the relevant correspondence, recordings and other documents to support an independent assessment of his account and determine whether further investigation is warranted.
The allegations against the individual involved in the mackerel transaction and the concerns raised about the consular handling of the case require independent verification. Responses from the individual concerned and the relevant diplomatic and state institutions would be necessary to establish a complete account of the matter.
