The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has interdicted its Acting Director of Passports and a junior Foreign Service Officer over their alleged roles in an illegal Service Passport issuance scheme that has been operating since 2023, with the illegally issued passports cancelled.
In a statement issued in Accra on November 8, 2026, the Ministry disclosed that the Acting Director of Passports, Mahama Yahaya Amantana, and Alhassan Sumani, a Foreign Service Officer, have been interdicted and referred to the Ghana Police Service for further investigations and possible prosecution.
The Ministry stated that Sumani was named in the petitions as the alleged chief architect of the scheme and had operated as a "goro boy" in 2023 before he was recruited into the Foreign Service on November 29, 2024.
The action follows two petitions received by the Ministry pointing to the irregular issuance of Service Passports. According to the statement, the 2023 petitioner claimed to have paid US$29,000 to those involved, while the 2026 petitioner stated that he paid US$5,000.
The Ministry's preliminary findings indicated that persons who did not qualify to be issued with Service Passports were allegedly issued the documents since 2023 after allegedly making illegal payments to a syndicate.
The statement listed ten individuals who allegedly received the passports illegally between January 2023 and August 2026. The Ministry assured that the listed passports have been cancelled and cannot be used, adding that international partners have been duly notified and the owners of the passports, including two who successfully used them to travel in 2023, are being pursued.
In the interest of fairness and non-discrimination, the statement noted that Ambassador Mohammed Habib Idris, the Director of Passports for the 2023 period in question, who is now retired, would also be investigated by the security services and sanctioned if found culpable.
The Ministry emphasised that the alleged "Service Passport For Sale Scheme" was a sophisticated operation that predates the current administration, and that the masterminds had been exposed due to heightened diligence and zero tolerance for corruption.
It also clarified that, so far, no evidence has emerged that Ghana's Diplomatic Passports are being sold, stressing that the matters under investigation concern Service Passports and not Diplomatic Passports.
The Ministry reiterated its commitment to transparency, impartiality and accountability, vowing to ensure that the culprits are brought to justice.
It highlighted recent reforms under the leadership of Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, including the introduction of ICAO-compliant chip-embedded passports, the establishment of Passport Application Centres in all 16 regions, 24-hour operations, and a reduction in the passport application fee from GH¢500 to GH¢350.
It added that a recent Ghana Statistical Service survey declared Passport Administration as the most transformed and least corrupt public institution in Ghana.
