Passport Scandal: Inside the alleged scheme, the officials implicated and the questions unanswered

Ghana’s passport administration system has come under intense scrutiny following allegations that officials within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Passport Office facilitated the issuance of Service and Diplomatic Passports to individuals who did not qualify for them, allegedly in exchange for money.

The controversy, which has triggered political exchanges, parliamentary disagreements and calls for an independent investigation, has raised questions about the integrity of the country’s passport issuance process and the possible abuse of official positions for personal gain.

At the centre of the unfolding scandal are allegations of a network involving passport officials and intermediaries who allegedly helped applicants obtain the special travel documents by assigning them false official designations and, in some instances, using forged documents.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has so far confirmed that 10 Service Passports were irregularly issued and subsequently cancelled, while two officials have been interdicted and referred to the police for further investigations.

But the Minority in Parliament insists the problem could be much bigger, alleging that about 300 Ghanaians may have travelled abroad using passports obtained through the arrangement.

How the scandal came to light

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the investigation was triggered by two petitions concerning the alleged irregular issuance of Service Passports.

According to a statement issued on Sunday, November 8, 2026, the first petition was received on October 8, 2026, with another complaint subsequently drawing attention to the alleged activities of a network operating within the passport administration system.

The petitions reportedly contained allegations of payments made to secure Service Passports for individuals who were not qualified to obtain them.

One petitioner claimed to have paid US$29,000 in connection with an arrangement dating back to 2023, while another alleged that US$5,000 was paid to members of the network in 2026.

Following the first petition, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa directed the formation of an investigative committee on October 13 to examine the allegations and establish the circumstances surrounding the issuance of the passports.

Preliminary findings, according to the Ministry, established that 10 individuals had allegedly obtained Service Passports irregularly between January 2023 and August 2026.

The Ministry subsequently announced the cancellation of all 10 passports and the interdiction of two officials suspected of involvement in the scheme.

Who has been implicated?

Two officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have so far been interdicted in connection with the alleged irregularities.

They are the Acting Director of Passports, Mahama Yahaya Amantana, and a junior Foreign Service Officer, Alhassan Sumani.

The Ministry identified Sumani in the petitions as the alleged mastermind of the operation, claiming that he previously operated as a middleman, popularly known as a ‘goro boy’, within the passport administration system in 2023 before joining the Foreign Service on November 29, 2024.

Both officials have been referred to the Ghana Police Service for further investigations and possible prosecution.

The Ministry has also indicated that retired Ambassador Mohammed Habib Idris, who served as Director of Passports during the period in 2023 when some of the alleged irregularities occurred, would be investigated by the security services and sanctioned if found culpable.

The decision, it said, was necessary to ensure fairness and accountability, regardless of the period during which the alleged misconduct took place.

Meanwhile, presidential aide Dr Samuel Ayeh has disclosed that a suspect identified as Wale allegedly confessed to forging the signature of a former Chief Director to facilitate the issuance of Service Passports.

Speaking on JoyNews’ The Pulse, Dr Ayeh said the suspect admitted before the investigative committee that signatures had been forged on official letters used to secure the passports.

He claimed the suspect had practised the forgery several times to make the signatures appear authentic and described how official letterheads were allegedly obtained for the exercise.

Dr Ayeh further alleged that Sumani was responsible for obtaining the letterheads used in the process.

He said the committee had an audio recording of the alleged confession and that its report was expected to be published the following week.

These claims are yet to be tested through the full investigative and legal processes.

How did the alleged passport-for-sale scheme operate?

While the Ministry’s preliminary findings have focused on 10 irregularly issued Service Passports, the Minority in Parliament has presented allegations suggesting a wider network involving officials, intermediaries and travel agents.

Addressing a press conference on Sunday, November 8, the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, alleged that some officials within the Ministry and the Passport Office operated a travel and tour business through which customers were assisted to obtain Diplomatic and Service Passports.

According to him, the arrangement involved assigning applicants official positions and designations they did not hold to make them appear eligible for the special travel documents.

The Minority alleged that some applicants were presented as officials of public institutions, even though they did not work in those organisations or occupy the positions stated in their applications.

Mr Jinapor cited letters purportedly issued on behalf of the Foreign Affairs Minister approving passport applications for individuals described as officials of various public institutions.

One example involved an individual identified as Amoh Boadi.

According to the Minority, a letter dated June 1, 2026, described him as Deputy Director of Audit Services at the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council.

However, another letter dated June 4, 2026, reportedly identified the same individual as Deputy District Coordinating Director of the Akrofuom District Assembly.

The Minority questioned how one individual could have been presented under two different official positions at separate public institutions within three days.

Other alleged designations, it said, involved the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the Fisheries Commission and the GTVET Service.

The Minority further alleged that some officials helped beneficiaries navigate airport procedures to avoid or minimise scrutiny by Ghana Immigration Service officers.

Presidential aide Dr Samuel Ayeh’s account of an alleged confession involving forged signatures has also added another dimension to questions about how the applications were processed and approved.

However, the specific roles of the individuals involved and the authenticity of the documents presented remain matters for investigation.

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Who are the alleged intermediaries?

The Minority has named two individuals it claims played intermediary roles in the alleged passport arrangement.

They are Ibrahim Wallee, whom it identified as the alleged manager of the operation in Ghana, and Bright Yeboah Owusu, said to have operated as an agent in Europe.

According to the Minority, Wallee allegedly connected applicants to the arrangement, while Owusu received payments on behalf of officials and facilitated dealings with customers based in Europe.

To support its allegations, the caucus presented copies of bank deposit receipts, mobile money transaction records, letters purportedly approving passport applications and redacted passport biodata pages.

Among the documents displayed were two GCB Bank cash deposit receipts dated June 15 and June 24, 2026, as well as mobile money transaction records.

The Minority said individuals who provided the records claimed the payments were made to secure Diplomatic and Service Passports, together with promised travel arrangements.

It indicated that the documents would be submitted to Parliament as evidence for the proposed investigation.

The allegations involving the named individuals have not been independently established.

How many people may have benefited?

While the Ministry has so far identified 10 Service Passports it considers to have been irregularly issued, the Minority believes the operation could have involved significantly more people.

Mr Jinapor alleged that information gathered by the caucus suggested that approximately 300 Ghanaians had travelled to Europe and other destinations using Diplomatic and Service Passports allegedly obtained through the arrangement.

The Minority claims some of the beneficiaries were not qualified to hold the documents but obtained them after making payments through intermediaries.

It also alleges that some beneficiaries were assisted through airport procedures to facilitate their travel.

The figure of approximately 300, however, remains an allegation by the Minority and has not been confirmed by the Ministry’s preliminary findings.

The Ministry has disclosed that two of the 10 individuals whose Service Passports were cancelled allegedly used the documents to travel in 2023.

It says efforts are underway to track down all the beneficiaries and ensure that the cancelled passports are no longer used.

Why are the passports attracting so much attention?

The controversy has attracted public interest partly because of the privileges associated with Ghana’s Diplomatic and Service Passports.

Unlike ordinary passports, these special travel documents are intended for individuals who qualify by virtue of their official positions or public duties.

According to figures presented by the Minority, Service Passports provide visa-free access to 59 countries, while Diplomatic Passports provide access to 62 countries, with only three countries distinguishing between the two categories.

The Minority argues that the alleged issuance of the documents to unqualified individuals could undermine the credibility of Ghana’s travel documents and create opportunities for people to enjoy privileges not intended for them.

It has also raised concerns about the potential implications for Ghana’s diplomatic relations and the country’s credibility with international partners.

The Ministry, for its part, says it has notified Ghana’s international partners about the cancellation of the 10 Service Passports identified in its preliminary investigation.

An important distinction in the unfolding controversy is the difference between Service Passports and Diplomatic Passports.

Although the two categories are at the centre of the public debate, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has maintained that its ongoing investigation concerns the alleged irregular issuance of Service Passports.

In its November 8 statement, the Ministry stressed that it had not uncovered evidence suggesting that Diplomatic Passports were being sold.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the matters under investigations are about Service Passports and not Diplomatic Passports,” the Ministry stated.

However, the Minority insists that the alleged operation was broader and involved both categories of special passports.

It has therefore called for a review of the issuance of Diplomatic and Service Passports to establish whether the alleged arrangement extended beyond the 10 documents identified by the Ministry.

The Ministry also released figures showing the number of the two categories of passports issued over three periods.

Between 2009 and 2016, a total of 1,397 Service Passports were issued, compared with 3,174 between 2017 and 2024. Another 754 have been issued from 2025 to date.

For Diplomatic Passports, the figures stood at 2,899 between 2009 and 2016, 5,682 between 2017 and 2024, and 1,944 since 2025.

The figures provide a broader picture of passport issuance over the years but do not, on their own, establish whether any of the documents were improperly issued.

The political battle over the scandal

Beyond the administrative and security concerns, the controversy has developed into a political dispute between the Majority and Minority in Parliament.

The Minority has questioned the handling of the passport administration system under Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and is demanding an independent parliamentary investigation.

The New Patriotic Party has also raised concerns about six individuals whose Service Passport applications it claims were approved using inaccurate or non-existent official designations at NADMO and the Fisheries Commission.

In a petition dated October 30, 2026, the party asked the United States Embassy in Ghana to review the treatment of the affected passport holders and tighten checks on the documents.

The NPP has also accused Mr Ablakwa of having prior knowledge of the alleged irregularities.

Its National Communications Director, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, questioned how the Minister could maintain that he was unaware of the alleged activities while expressing certainty that Diplomatic Passports had not been implicated.

He also questioned the circumstances surrounding the appointment of the Acting Director of Passports, alleging that concerns had been raised about the official’s qualifications.

The Majority, however, has defended the Minister’s handling of the matter.

Majority Leader James Agalga argued that Mr Ablakwa should not be held responsible merely because the alleged misconduct occurred within an institution under his supervision, particularly when he had taken steps to investigate the matter and interdict officials implicated in the allegations.

Vice Chairman of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee, Cletus Dapilah, has also accused the previous Akufo-Addo administration of facilitating the alleged irregularities.

He claimed that Sumani was recruited into the Foreign Affairs Ministry on November 29, 2024, towards the end of the previous administration, after allegedly operating as a ‘goro boy’ within the passport system.

Mr Dapilah alleged that the recruitment allowed Sumani to continue his involvement in the passport arrangement.

These competing claims have further complicated the controversy, with both sides seeking to establish responsibility for the alleged activities.

How the controversy reached Parliament

The passport scandal had already generated tension in Parliament before the Ministry announced its latest findings.

On November 3, 2026, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, ordered Samuel Abu Jinapor out of the Chamber following a heated disagreement over his allegation that Diplomatic Passports were being sold for between US$10,000 and US$50,000.

The Majority Leader, James Agalga, challenged Mr Jinapor to provide evidence to support the allegation or withdraw it.

The Speaker subsequently directed the Damongo MP to substantiate his claim or retract it.

After a heated exchange, Mr Jinapor withdrew the allegation but was ordered out of the Chamber for failing to comply promptly with the Speaker’s directive.

The Minority caucus protested the decision and walked out of the Chamber in solidarity with their colleague.

The incident highlighted the growing political divisions over the passport issuance process and the demand for greater accountability from the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

What is the Minority demanding?

Following the Ministry’s announcement, the Minority renewed its call for Parliament to establish an Ad Hoc Committee to investigate the alleged passport-for-sale scheme.

It says the proposed committee should examine all approvals and issuances of Diplomatic and Service Passports from January 7, 2025, to the date of the adoption of the motion.

The Minority is also seeking access to passport applications, recommendations, approval letters, payment records, correspondence and electronic communications relating to the alleged transactions.

It wants the Foreign Affairs Minister, the Ministry’s Chief Director, the interdicted Director of Passports, the alleged intermediaries, relevant passport and immigration officers, and beneficiaries of the documents to appear before the committee.

According to the caucus, the inquiry should establish how the alleged scheme operated, how many people benefited, whether public officials received payments and whether state institutions were abused to facilitate the transactions.

The Minority maintains that the existence of an internal investigative committee does not prevent Parliament from exercising its constitutional oversight responsibilities.

The Majority, however, has argued that the committee established by the Ministry has the necessary mandate and capacity to investigate the allegations and should be allowed to complete its work.

What happens next?

For now, the investigations remain ongoing, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicating that the two interdicted officers have been referred to the Ghana Police Service for further investigations and possible prosecution.

The committee established by the Ministry is also expected to present its findings, with presidential aide Dr Samuel Ayeh indicating that its report would be published the following week.

The outcome of the investigations is expected to shed more light on the alleged forgery of official documents, the role of intermediaries, the circumstances surrounding the issuance of the 10 cancelled passports and whether other individuals benefited from the arrangement.

There are also questions about the alleged involvement of officials across different periods, particularly whether the scheme operated beyond the cases already identified by the Ministry.

The proposed parliamentary inquiry could provide another avenue for examining the allegations, although disagreement remains over whether a separate committee is necessary while the Ministry’s investigation is ongoing.

Ultimately, the scandal raises fundamental questions about the security of Ghana’s passport administration system, the integrity of public institutions and the extent to which official privileges may have been exploited for private benefit.

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