Ghana Cancels 10 Passports Issued Illegally After Applicants Allegedly Paid Up To $29,000, Suspends Two Officials
Ghana Cancels 10 Passports Issued Illegally After Applicants Allegedly Paid Up To $29,000, Suspends Two Officials
According to the ministry, one petitioner claimed to have paid $29,000 in 2023, while another alleged that he paid $5,000 in 2026 to members of the suspected criminal network.
Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has cancelled 10 service passports allegedly issued illegally to individuals who did not qualify for them after paying members of a suspected criminal syndicate, as part of an investigation into a passport-for-sale scheme dating back to 2023.
The ministry also announced the interdiction of two officials, including the Acting Director of Passports, Mahama Yahaya Amantana, and a junior Foreign Service Officer, Alhassan Sumani, over their alleged roles in the scheme.
In a statement issued in Accra on Sunday, November 8, 2026, the ministry said the investigation followed two petitions alleging irregularities in the issuance of service passports.
According to the ministry, one petitioner claimed to have paid $29,000 in 2023, while another alleged that he paid $5,000 in 2026 to members of the suspected criminal network.
The ministry said the first petition was received on October 8, 2026, prompting the Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to order the establishment of an investigative committee on October 13.
It said preliminary findings had confirmed that individuals who were not qualified to receive service passports obtained them after allegedly making illegal payments to a syndicate.
The 10 passports identified in the investigation were issued between January 2023 and August 2026.
Those affected include Richard Sakyi Apenteng and Augustina Agyei Boateng, whose passports were issued on January 3, 2023; Juliet Amankwa, issued on January 31, 2023; and Rebecca Agyeiwaa, issued on February 2, 2023.
Others are Prince Ahensah and Maybel Ahensah, whose passports were issued on May 28, 2026; Twumasi Francis Kwame, Gyabaah Anthony, Frederick Ennin and Bosompem Richard, whose passports were issued in August 2026.
The ministry said all 10 passports had been cancelled and could no longer be used.
It added that international partners had been notified of the cancellations, while efforts were underway to track down the beneficiaries, including two individuals who allegedly used the illegally obtained passports to travel in 2023.
The ministry identified Sumani as a key figure named in all the petitions, alleging that he operated as a passport-processing intermediary, commonly referred to as a “goro boy”, in 2023 before being recruited into the Foreign Service on November 29, 2024.
It said both Sumani and Amantana had been interdicted and referred to the Ghana Police Service for further investigations and possible prosecution.
The ministry also announced that Ambassador Mohammed Habib Idris, who served as Director of Passports during the period under investigation in 2023 and has since retired, would be investigated by security agencies.
It said he would be sanctioned if found culpable, just like the other officials under investigation.
“In the interest of fairness, impartiality and non-discrimination, the Director of Passports for the 2023 period in issue, Ambassador Mohammed Habib Idris, who is now retired, would also be investigated by the security services and sanctioned if found culpable just like his counterpart, Mr. Mahama Yahaya Amantana,” the statement said.
The ministry described the alleged operation as a sophisticated scheme that began before the current administration but said the investigation had exposed those behind it.
“It is apparent that this Service Passport For Sale Scheme was a sophisticated operation which predates the current administration, we are however glad that the masterminds have finally been exposed and rounded up due to our heightened diligence and zero tolerance for corruption,” it said.
The ministry also sought to distinguish the investigation from allegations involving diplomatic passports, insisting that there was no evidence that the country’s diplomatic passports were being sold.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to state for the record that so far, no evidence has emerged that Ghana’s Diplomatic Passports are being sold.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the matters under investigations are about Service Passports and not Diplomatic Passports,” the statement added.
The ministry said it was committed to ensuring that those responsible for the alleged irregularities were prosecuted, promising transparency and accountability throughout the investigation.
It also provided figures showing that 1,397 service passports were issued between 2009 and 2016, while 3,174 were issued between 2017 and 2024. A further 754 have been issued from 2025 to date.
For diplomatic passports, the ministry said 2,899 were issued between 2009 and 2016, 5,682 between 2017 and 2024, and 1,944 since 2025.
The statement also highlighted reforms introduced under President John Dramani Mahama, including the introduction of chip-embedded passports compliant with International Civil Aviation Organization standards, the establishment of passport application centres across all 16 regions, 24-hour operations, free courier delivery and an electronic tracking system.
It said the government had also reduced the passport application fee from GH₵500 to GH₵350 to make the document more affordable.
The ministry said the reforms were aimed at strengthening the credibility, security and efficiency of Ghana’s passport administration system.
