Foreign Affairs Ministry interdicts two officers over illegal service passport scheme

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has interdicted two officers over an alleged illegal scheme involving the issuance of Ghanaian Service Passports to unqualified individuals in exchange for money.

The officers are the Acting Director of Passports, Mahama Yahaya Amantana, and a junior Foreign Service Officer, Alhassan Sumani, who has been identified in petitions received by the Ministry as the alleged mastermind of the scheme.

In a statement issued on November 8, 2026, the Ministry said it had referred both officers to the Ghana Police Service for further investigations and possible prosecution.

It explained that the investigation followed two petitions received by the Ministry, with the first submitted on October 8, 2026, prompting the establishment of a committee on October 13, 2026, on the instructions of the Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.

According to the Ministry, the first petitioner claimed to have paid US$29,000 in 2023, while the second alleged that he paid US$5,000 in 2026 to individuals involved in the scheme.

Preliminary findings by the committee have reportedly confirmed that 10 individuals who did not qualify for Service Passports were issued the documents between January 2023 and August 2026 after allegedly making illegal payments to a syndicate.

The Ministry named the beneficiaries 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.

It said the alleged scheme had been operating since 2023 and that Sumani, who was described as a key figure in the petitions, had operated as a middleman before joining the Foreign Service on November 29, 2024.

Meanwhile, the Ministry used the statement to reaffirm its commitment to improving passport administration in the country, highlighting reforms introduced under the government of President John Dramani Mahama.

These include the introduction of chip-embedded passports that meet international standards, the establishment of Passport Application Centres in all 16 regions, 24-hour operations, free courier delivery and an electronic tracking system.

The Ministry announced that the passport application fee had been reduced from GH¢500 to GH¢350 to make the document more affordable.

It said the reforms were aimed at improving the security, efficiency, accessibility and integrity of Ghana’s passport administration system.

By: Jacob Aggrey