The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has interdicted two Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) over an alleged irregular service passport issuance scheme operating illegally since 2023.
The two are the acting Director of Passports, Mahama Yahaya Amantana, and a junior Foreign Service Officer, Alhassan Sumani (FSO A5), who was named in two petitions and described as the “chief architect of the scheme”.
The Foreign Ministry said Sumani operated as a “goro boy” in 2023 before he was recruited into the Foreign Service on November 29, 2024.
The ministry has consequently cancelled 10 illegally acquired service passports issued under the controversial scheme.
It stated that while a 2023 petitioner claimed to have paid $29,000 for a service passport run by the scheme, a 2026 petitioner said he paid $5,000 to those involved in the supposed criminal enterprise.
The two have also been referred to the Ghana Police Service for further investigations and possible prosecution.
The ministry, in a statement, said a committee was set up on October 13 this year on the instructions of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, after a petition was received five days earlier.
The ministry said its preliminary findings confirmed that some persons who did not qualify to be issued with service passports were actually issued with the travel document, all of which had since been cancelled and could no longer be used.
The cancelled passport holders and their respective passport numbers include Richard Sakyi Apenteng (SX004034), Augustina Agyei Boateng (SX004032), Juliet Amankwa (SX004086), all issued on January 3, 2023, and Rebecca Agyeiwaa (SX004089), issued on February 2, 2023.
Also, Prince Ahensah (SX0604674) and Maybel Ahensah (SX0604687) were issued with service passports on May 28 this year, while Twumasi Francis Kwame (SX0605905), Gyabaah Anthony (SX0605895), Frederick Ennin (SX0605918) and Bosompem Richard (SX0605921) were all issued with service passports on August 11 this year.
Minority’s allegation
The Minority in Parliament had first made the allegation on the floor of the House of the sale of both service and diplomatic passports through the Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, who was compelled to withdraw when he could not substantiate the claim immediately.
The Foreign Ministry, however, indicated that there was no evidence that Ghana’s diplomatic passports had been sold.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the matters under investigation are about service passports and not diplomatic passports,” the statement said.
It added that the official data from the Passport Office indicated that 1,397 service passports were issued between 2009 and 2016; 3,174 were issued between 2017 and 2024; and 754 from 2025 to date.
For diplomatic passports, it said 2,899 were issued between 2009 and 2016; 5,682 between 2017 and 2024; and 1,944 since 2025.
It promised full transparency, impartiality and accountability on the matter, and said it would ensure that the culprits were brought to justice.
The ministry gave further assurance that international partners had been duly notified, and that the owners of the passports, including two who successfully used the illegally acquired service passports to travel in 2023, were being vigorously pursued.
It said in the interest of fairness, impartiality and non-discrimination, the Director of Passports for the 2023 period in issue, Mohammed Habib Idris, who had since retired, would also be investigated by the security services and sanctioned if found culpable.
The ministry said it was apparent that the “Service Passport for Sale Scheme” was a sophisticated operation which predated the current administration, but that the masterminds had finally been exposed and rounded up due to heightened diligence and zero tolerance for corruption.
It said it would continue to pursue strict policies, institutional reforms and swift interventions aimed at safeguarding the credibility and sanctity of all categories of Ghanaian passports.
