Ghana's Minority Party Seeks Probe into Alleged Passport Scandal

The Minority party in Ghana's Parliament is calling for an independent investigation into the alleged sale and irregular issuance of diplomatic and service passports. They claim about 300 Ghanaians have travelled abroad using documents obtained through questionable arrangements. The Minority Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Samuel Abu Jinapor, says they have obtained evidence that warrants a thorough probe. This includes approval letters, passport copies, and financial transaction records.

According to the Minority party, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Passport Office allegedly operated a travel and tour arrangement. This allowed paying customers to obtain diplomatic and service passports for international travel, mainly to Europe. The arrangement was allegedly managed by Ibrahim Wallee in Ghana and Bright Yeboah Owusu in Europe. Applicants who didn't qualify for passports were assigned official positions they didn't hold, with some positions not existing in the institutions they were presented under.

The Minority party presented copies of approval letters issued by the Foreign Affairs Ministry between June and August 2026. One letter, dated June 1, 2026, approved service passports for individuals described as officials of the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council. However, another letter dated June 4, 2026, listed the same individual, Amoh Boadi, under a different official designation. The Minority party questioned how the same individual could have been presented under two different designations within three days.

The Minority party also presented approval letters relating to purported officials of various institutions, including the Ghana Technical and Vocational Education and Training Service and the Fisheries Commission. They claimed some individuals didn't occupy the positions attributed to them, while certain positions listed didn't exist. The caucus obtained copies of passports allegedly issued based on the disputed representations, alongside bank deposit receipts and mobile money transaction records.

The proposed parliamentary committee would investigate all approvals and issuances of diplomatic and service passports from January 7, 2025. The Minority party wants the Foreign Affairs Minister, the Ministry's Chief Director, and the interdicted Director of Passports to appear before the committee. They also want the identified agents, relevant passport and immigration officers, and beneficiaries of the passports to testify.

The Minority party questioned the adequacy of an internal investigation reportedly constituted by the Foreign Affairs Ministry. They insisted that it couldn't replace independent parliamentary scrutiny. Citing Article 103 of the 1992 Constitution, the caucus argued that Parliament had the authority to investigate the activities and administration of ministries and other public institutions.

The Minority party appealed to the Majority to support the motion, insisting that an inquiry would allow allegations to be tested and persons implicated to respond. They also stated that any wrongdoing established would attract appropriate sanctions. The development follows a controversy in Parliament last week when Mr. Abu Jinapor raised the alleged passport sales on the floor of the House, triggering a heated exchange.

Key points

• The Minority party in Ghana's Parliament seeks an independent probe into the alleged sale of diplomatic passports.
• About 300 Ghanaians allegedly travelled abroad using passports obtained through questionable arrangements.
• The proposed parliamentary committee would investigate all approvals and issuances of diplomatic and service passports from January 7, 2025.