Sam George Takes on FBI Boss Kash Patel Over Credit For Fraudster Arrests in Ghana
- Communications Minister Sam George sent a direct message to FBI Director Kash Patel, challenging how the US framed recent fraud arrests
- George insisted that Ghanaian law enforcement and intelligence led the Cyberhunt operations, with primary support coming from the UK
- The minister warned that Patel's public posturing could damage future security collaboration between Ghana and the United States
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Communications Minister Sam George is not too happy with how the US reported the recent arrests in Ghana in a crackdown on fraudsters.
In a message to FBI Director Kash Patel, George held that Ghana had not gotten due credit for the arrests.
Source: Facebook
In a statement on X, the minister said Ghanaian law enforcement and intelligence led the Cyberhunt operations, with primary support from the UK.
George warned that Patel's posturing threatened future security collaborations.
"To suggest the FBI acted solely to execute this operation in your tweet undermines the potential for future collaboration. I expect that you will reflect on the benefits of our continued cooperation and act accordingly."
Patel announced on October 8 that a major scam operation in Ghana had been dismantled, resulting in the arrest or detention of more than 130 individuals as part of the bureau's global crackdown known as Operation Blackout.
Writing on X, Patel shared that investigators had so far identified close to US$10 million in losses and traced 89 victims linked to the Ghana operation. Authorities also seized more than 300 devices during the raids.
Ghana's role in a widening global operation
Patel noted that some of those held in Ghana are themselves victims, who will be returned to their home countries.
The specific locations of the operations, the identities of those arrested, and the Ghanaian institutions involved have not been publicly disclosed.
It also remains unclear whether any of those detained will face prosecution in Ghana or extradition to the United States.
Operation Blackout is the FBI's coordinated campaign against transnational fraud networks operating through so-called scam compounds, which Patel has described as large, fortified facilities where illegally moved workers are coerced into conducting fraud against foreign victims.
Ghanaians among foreigners facing US citizenship loss
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the two Ghanaians are among 40 foreign-born individuals facing denaturalisation in the United States after the Department of Justice filed complaints against them in what officials described as an unprecedented effort.
The cases against Francis Darko Asamoah, 56, and Dexter Anson, 72, were filed on consecutive days in late September and early October.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
