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