The Vice Chairman of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee, Cletus Dapilah, has stated that the signature of the Chief Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was forged to facilitate the issuance of illegal service passports.
In an interview with Home Radio, Mr Dapilah said preliminary investigation reports available to him showed that the Chief Director’s signature on the relevant approval letters was false. “As for the signature of the chief director, I can state categorically clear that it was a false signature, and it’s criminal ,” he said.
Mr Dapilah, speaking as a member of the Majority in Parliament, linked the alleged scheme to the previous administration. He claimed that an individual who had operated as a “goro boy” (middleman) within the Ministry was recruited into the Foreign Service on November 29, 2024, near the end of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government’s tenure, in a move he said was intended to preserve influence in the system. He accused the previous administration of forming a network that enabled passport racketeering and urged the Minority Caucus not to politicise the matter but to allow investigations to proceed.
The Ministry has cancelled 10 service passports that preliminary investigations found were issued to individuals who did not meet eligibility requirements between January 2023 and August 2026. The documents were allegedly obtained after illegal payments to members of the syndicate, with one petitioner claiming to have paid US$29,000 in 2023 and another US$5,000 in 2026. The Ministry has notified international partners that the passports are invalid.
Two officials have been interdicted and referred to the Ghana Police Service for further investigation and possible prosecution: Acting Director of Passports Mahama Yahaya Amantana and junior Foreign Service Officer Alhassan Sumani. Sumani has been named in the petitions as a central figure who previously operated as a middleman before joining the service. Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa constituted an investigative committee shortly after the first petition was received on October 8, 2026.
Meanwhile, the Minority in Parliament has alleged that a much larger number of people around 300 may have travelled on irregularly obtained special passports and has moved for a bipartisan parliamentary probe. The caucus has cited documents including approval letters, bank receipts, and mobile money records in support of its claims.
Investigations by the Ministry and police are ongoing. The matter has drawn significant public and political attention, with both sides of the aisle highlighting concerns over the integrity of Ghana’s passport system and the need for accountability. Further details from the Ministry’s committee and any parliamentary inquiry are expected in the coming days.
By: Adil Fuseini
