The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has cancelled 10 Service Passports allegedly issued unlawfully to individuals who did not qualify for the travel documents, following preliminary investigations into an alleged passport-for-sale scheme within the Ministry.
The Ministry, in a statement issued on Sunday, November 8, disclosed that the passports were obtained through an alleged arrangement involving payments to individuals within the passport administration system. The scheme is believed to have been operating between January 2023 and August 2026.
As part of measures taken following the investigations, two officials, including the Acting Director of Passports, Mahama Yahaya Amantana, have been interdicted.
A junior Foreign Service Officer, Alhassan Sumani, who was named in petitions to the Ministry as the alleged mastermind of the scheme, has also been interdicted. Both officers have been referred to the Ghana Police Service for further investigations and possible prosecution.
The investigations followed two petitions received by the Ministry, with the first submitted on October 8, 2026, raising concerns about the alleged illegal issuance of Service Passports to persons who were not eligible for them.
According to the Ministry, one petitioner alleged paying US$29,000 in 2023 to secure the travel document, while another claimed to have paid US$5,000 to individuals connected to the arrangement in 2026.
Following the first petition, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa directed the establishment of an investigative committee on October 13, 2026, to examine the allegations and establish the circumstances surrounding the reported activities.
Preliminary findings reportedly established that 10 individuals who did not meet the requirements for Service Passports had obtained them through the alleged scheme.
The affected individuals have been identified as Richard Sakyi Apenteng, Augustina Agyei Boateng, Juliet Amankwa, Rebecca Agyeiwaa, Prince Ahensah, Maybel Ahensah, Twumasi Francis Kwame, Gyabaah Anthony, Frederick Ennin and Bosompem Richard.
The Ministry said the passports were issued between January 2023 and August 2026 and have since been cancelled as investigations continue.
