Samuel Abu Jinapor
The Minority in Parliament has raised the alarm over an alleged scheme involving the sale and irregular issuance of Ghanaian diplomatic and service passports to unqualified individuals, calling for an independent parliamentary investigation into the matter.
The Minority alleged that officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Passport Office have been involved in an arrangement through which paying customers are assigned fictitious government positions to enable them to acquire the special travel documents.
Addressing a press conference in Accra yesterday, the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, said the Minority had uncovered documents suggesting that some individuals who did not qualify under the law had obtained diplomatic and service passports through the alleged arrangement.
The press conference was attended by the Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Communications Director, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, and other members of the Minority Caucus.
Mr. Jinapor disclosed that the alleged operation was facilitated through a travel and tour business purportedly established or operated by officials of the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Passport Office.
According to him, one Ibrahim Wallee manages the business in Ghana, while Bright Yeboah Owusu, an agent resident in Europe, allegedly handles aspects of the operation.
He said customers were required to pay money to obtain diplomatic or service passports, with fictitious official designations assigned to them to satisfy the requirements for acquiring the documents.
Some of the positions attributed to the applicants, he claimed, did not even exist, while others were allegedly assigned to individuals who did not work at the institutions concerned.
Mr. Jinapor further alleged that personnel of the Foreign Affairs Ministry assisted some of the passport holders through the airport to avoid or reduce scrutiny by officers of the Ghana Immigration Service.
The Minority, he said, had received information indicating that approximately several Ghanaians had travelled to Europe and other destinations using diplomatic and service passports allegedly obtained through the arrangement.
To substantiate its claims, the Minority presented copies of approval letters issued in the name of the Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and signed by the Ministry’s Chief Director, Ambassador Khadija Iddrisu, on behalf of the Minister.
One of the letters, dated June 1, 2026, approved the issuance of service passports to persons described as officials of the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council.
Mr. Jinapor cited the name of one Amoh Boadi, who was described in the letter as Deputy Director, Audit Services.
He said another letter dated June 4, 2026, also contained the same name, but this time identified the individual as Deputy District Coordinating Director of the Akrofuom District Assembly.
The Ranking Member questioned how the same individual could have been presented as holding different positions at two separate public institutions within three days for the purpose of obtaining special passports.
He also presented letters dated June 5, August 6 and August 7, 2026, relating to supposed officials of the Ghana Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Service, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the Fisheries Commission.
According to him, the Minority’s checks suggested that some of the applicants did not hold the positions attributed to them, while certain positions did not exist.
The Minority also claimed to have obtained copies of diplomatic and service passports issued to some of the individuals, as well as payment records allegedly linked to the transactions.
Mr. Jinapor said the documents included Ghana Commercial Bank cash deposit receipts dated June 15 and June 24, 2026, and several mobile money transaction records showing payments to Bright Yeboah Owusu.
He said the individuals who provided the records claimed the payments were made for the acquisition of the passports and promised travel arrangements.
Some of the alleged customers, he said, had complained that they were abandoned when they needed assistance from officials to clear immigration at the airport, while their attempts to obtain refunds of the monies paid had proved unsuccessful.
Others, however, were said to have successfully travelled abroad with assistance from the alleged agents and officials.
Mr. Jinapor said the Minority would file a motion in Parliament today, November 9, seeking the establishment of an Ad hoc Committee to investigate the alleged sale and irregular issuance of the passports.
The proposed committee, he said, should examine all approvals and issuances of diplomatic and service passports from January 7, 2025, to the date the motion is adopted, with access to earlier records where necessary.
He said the committee should have access to passport applications, institutional recommendations, approval letters, issuance and collection records, payment records and relevant communications, including electronic records.
Among those expected to assist the inquiry, according to him, are the Foreign Affairs Minister, the Chief Director of the Ministry, the interdicted Director of Passports, Yahaya Amantana Mahama, the identified agent, relevant passport and immigration officers, and individuals who allegedly obtained the passports.
The committee, he said, should also have the power to compel witnesses to appear, examine them under oath and require the production of relevant documents.
Mr. Jinapor maintained that an internal investigation reportedly constituted by the Foreign Affairs Minister and chaired by Ambassador Alexander Grant Ntrakwa could not replace an independent parliamentary inquiry.
He questioned the impartiality of an investigation conducted within the same Ministry whose officials and processes were at the centre of the allegations.
He further raised concerns about what he described as restrictions on members of the internal committee from speaking publicly about the matter, suggesting that the circumstances raised questions about a possible cover-up.
The Minority insisted that the proposed parliamentary investigation was necessary to establish the number of passports irregularly issued, identify those responsible, determine the extent of the alleged transactions and recommend appropriate sanctions.
Mr. Jinapor appealed to members of the Majority to support the motion, stressing that backing an inquiry would not amount to accepting the allegations as proven.
He said the investigation would provide an opportunity for all persons implicated to respond to the allegations and for the relevant documents and transactions to be independently examined.
The Minority’s concerns come amid reported efforts by the Foreign Affairs Ministry to investigate issues surrounding the acquisition of diplomatic and service passports.
The Caucus, however, maintained that the matter required parliamentary scrutiny, arguing that the integrity of Ghana’s official travel documents and the country’s international reputation were at stake.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House