The Minority Caucus in Parliament has initiated moves to establish a Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee to investigate allegations of illegal sales and irregular issuance of Ghanaian diplomatic and service passports.
The Minority says it has uncovered documents pointing to an alleged syndicate involving officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Passport Office, who are suspected of facilitating the acquisition of special passports by unqualified individuals in exchange for money.
Addressing a press conference in Accra on Sunday, November 8, 2026, the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, disclosed that the Minority had gathered substantial documentary evidence suggesting that some individuals obtained diplomatic and service passports through questionable arrangements.
His press conference came shortly after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the interdiction of its Acting Director of Passports and a junior officer over the alleged passport irregularities.
Minority Alleges Diplomatic Passport Sales Syndicate
According to Jinapor, preliminary findings suggest that some officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Passport Office were allegedly operating a travel and tour business through which customers paid to obtain diplomatic or service passports to facilitate international travel, particularly to European countries.
He alleged that individuals who did not qualify for the special travel documents were assigned fictitious government positions and official designations to make their passport applications appear legitimate.
To support the allegations, the Minority presented several letters purportedly signed on behalf of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, recommending or approving diplomatic and service passports for individuals described as employees of various public institutions.
However, Jinapor claimed that investigations conducted by the Minority revealed inconsistencies in some of the documents, with certain beneficiaries allegedly not employed by the institutions listed in their applications.
Jinapor Questions Conflicting Positions in Passport Documents
One of the examples highlighted by the Minority involved a person identified as Mr Amoh Boadi.
Jinapor explained that a letter dated June 1, 2026, identified Amoh Boadi as Deputy Director of Audit Services at the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council.
However, another letter issued three days later reportedly identified an individual bearing the same name as Deputy District Coordinating Director of the Akrofuom District Assembly.
The Minority questioned how one individual could allegedly be presented under two different official positions at separate government institutions to support applications for diplomatic or service passports.
Receipts Allegedly Show Payments for Special Passports
The Minority also presented documents containing receipts of cash deposits and mobile money transactions allegedly made to an agent identified as Bright Yeboah Owusu.
According to Jinapor, the agent reportedly collected payments on behalf of individuals involved in the alleged passport arrangement.
He further alleged that some officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs assisted beneficiaries through airport procedures to avoid scrutiny by officers of the Ghana Immigration Service.
The Minority also claimed that approximately 300 Ghanaians had travelled to European countries using diplomatic or service passports allegedly obtained through the arrangement.
These claims have yet to be independently established through a parliamentary or other formal investigation.
Minority Seeks Investigation into Passport Issuance Since January 2025
Jinapor announced that the Minority would formally file a motion on Monday morning, November 9, 2026, seeking Parliament’s approval for an independent investigation into the alleged diplomatic passport scandal.
The proposed Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee is expected to examine all approvals and issuances of diplomatic and service passports from January 7, 2025, up to the date the motion is adopted.
He maintained that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ decision to establish an internal investigative committee should not prevent Parliament from exercising its constitutional oversight responsibilities.
According to him, an independent parliamentary investigation is necessary because officials who may have supervised the processes under investigation should not be solely responsible for examining the allegations.
The proposed committee is expected to obtain and scrutinise passport applications, institutional recommendations, ministerial approval letters, issuance records and relevant electronic documents to establish how the passports were processed and approved.
Minority Appeals to Majority to Support Parliamentary Probe
The Minority has appealed to the Majority Caucus to support the motion, insisting that approving an investigation does not amount to accepting the allegations as established facts.
Jinapor argued that the seriousness of the alleged diplomatic passport irregularities demands a transparent, independent and comprehensive investigation to protect the credibility of Ghana’s passport issuance system.
He stressed that diplomatic and service passports are official state documents and must not be turned into commercial instruments for private financial gain.
“The authority of the Republic must never become a private means of making money, and we will not allow these serious questions to go unanswered,” he stated.
The proposed parliamentary investigation could become a major test of accountability within Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, particularly regarding the issuance of diplomatic passports, service passports and other official travel documents.
Source: newsthemegh.com