Ghana MPs demand inquiry into alleged sale of service passports

Opposition lawmakers in Ghana are demanding a full parliamentary investigation into what they describe as the sale and irregular issue of service passports by officials at the Foreign Ministry. The Foreign Ministry says an inquiry is already under way and that officers have been suspended over the alleged scheme.

The claims were made by Samuel Abu Jinapor, Ranking Member of Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, at a news conference on 8 November 2026. He said the opposition holds receipts and transaction IDs linked to people who paid for passports they were not entitled to hold.

Key facts

• The Foreign Ministry says it is investigating after two petitions were filed against some of its officers
• Two officers have been interdicted, including the acting director of passports
• Two other officers have been referred to the Ghana Police Service
• Service passports issued illegally to 10 people have been cancelled
• The opposition claims about 300 people have travelled on passports obtained through the arrangement
• The ministry denies that any diplomatic passports were sold

What is being alleged?

Speaking on the floor of Parliament last week, Jinapor alleged that a cartel involving Foreign Ministry officials and intermediaries at the passport office was arranging the passports. He said a travel and tour company was used to facilitate the scheme, and that applicants were given fake government posts so their documents could be prepared.

He claimed that some of the paperwork carried approval letters in the name of Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and that the ministry's chief director had approved some service passports. Jinapor also said that around 300 people had travelled to Europe and other destinations on passports obtained through the arrangement.

What has the Foreign Ministry done?

The ministry confirmed in a statement that an investigation is continuing after two people petitioned against some of its officers. It said the acting director of passports, Mahama Yahaya Amantana, was interdicted after the first petition on 8 October 2026.

A junior foreign service officer, Alhassan Sumani, was also interdicted. The ministry said he was named in all the petitions and had worked as an intermediary in 2023 before being recruited into the foreign service on 29 November 2024. Two further officers have been sent to the Ghana Police Service for investigation and prosecution.

The ministry said it has cancelled the service passports of 10 people whose illegal acquisition through the cartel was confirmed, with payment said to have been made in 2023. It said international partners have been alerted and the holders cannot use the documents. The ministry added that the cartel was operating before the current government took office in 2025.

Who can hold these passports?

Under section 6 of the Passports and Travel Certificates Act, 1967 (NLCD 155), diplomatic passports are reserved for categories that include government officials travelling on official business, diplomatic and consular officers, heads of official delegations, and other prominent citizens and high-ranking officers, together with some of their spouses.

Section 7 of the same Act states that service passports are for public officers and other Ghanaians travelling strictly for official state business. Unlike ordinary passports, which any citizen can hold and which are valid for up to 10 years, service passports are tied to active government employment or assignment.

What about diplomatic passports?

The minority and the opposition party allege that diplomatic passports were also sold, but the Foreign Ministry rejects this. The ministry said it has no evidence so far that diplomatic passports were sold and that its investigation covers service passports only.

What this means for travellers

The service passports issued illegally to 10 people have been cancelled and their holders cannot use them. Travellers should note that service and diplomatic passports are limited to defined categories of officials and are not available to the general public.

Foreign policy analyst Adib Saani, executive director of the Jatikay Center for Human Security and Peacebuilding, said the case could damage the country's credibility and lead other governments to apply tighter visa checks or extra verification for travellers. He said the international community will judge Ghana by how effectively it responds.

The opposition says it will soon file a motion for a parliamentary committee to examine applications and recommendations for the passports, approval letters issued by the ministry, passport issuance and travel records, related bank and mobile money transactions, electronic processing records, and the roles of the foreign minister, chief director, passport officers and middlemen.