The Minority Caucus in Parliament, led by the Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has called for the immediate establishment of a bipartisan Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee to investigate allegations involving the irregular issuance and sale of diplomatic and service passports.
Addressing the press, Mr Jinapor highlighted troubling discrepancies in official documentation released under the name of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and signed on his behalf by the Ministry’s Chief Director, Ambassador Khadija Iddrisu.
According to the Minority, approval letters issued to alleged public officers contained blatant contradictions.
“June 1, 2026: An approval letter for supposed officials of the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council, listing Mr. Amoh Boadi as Deputy Director of Audit Services. June 4, 2026: Another approval letter listing the same Mr. Amoh Boadi, this time as Deputy District Coordinating Director of the Akrofuom District Assembly,” Mr Jinapor stated, questioning how one individual could assume two different official roles across separate institutions within three days.
The Minority further revealed that subsequent checks into letters dated June 5, August 6, and August 7, 2026—concerning supposed officials of the Ghana Technical and Vocational Education and Training Service, the National Disaster Management Organisation, and the Fisheries Commission—showed that several individuals did not hold the stated positions, while some designated roles did not exist at all.
Financial records, including GCB Bank deposit slips and mobile money transfer receipts, were also presented. The payments were allegedly made to an agent, Bright Yeboah Owusu, in exchange for diplomatic and service passports. While some victims were reportedly abandoned after paying, others managed to travel abroad using the documents.
Following these revelations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement confirming that an illegal service passport scheme had been operating since 2023. The Ministry announced the interdiction of Acting Director of Passports, Mr Mahama Yahaya Amantana, and Foreign Service Officer Alhassan Sumani. It also stated that ten illegally acquired service passports had been cancelled and that retired former Passport Director, Ambassador Mohammed Habib Idris, would face investigation. However, the Ministry maintained that there is no evidence suggesting diplomatic passports were sold.
Rejecting the Ministry’s internal probe as insufficient, Mr Jinapor insisted that Parliament must exercise its oversight mandate under Article 103 of the 1992 Constitution.
“The public deserves an investigation that is transparent, impartial and capable of examining all the relevant records without institutional interference,” he stressed.
Calling on the Majority Caucus to support the motion for an Ad Hoc Committee, the Minority Ranking Member warned against compromising national security and international trust.
“Ghana’s passport is not a commodity. The authority of the Republic must never be turned into a private business. We demand answers. We demand transparency. We demand accountability,” Mr Jinapor declared.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana