Minority alleges 300 Ghanaians travelled abroad on passports obtained through an illegal scheme

The Minority in Parliament has alleged that approximately 300 Ghanaians have travelled to Europe and other destinations using diplomatic and service passports purportedly obtained through an arrangement involving officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Passport Office. According to the Minority, the alleged arrangement involved a travel and tour business through which customers paid money to obtain the special passports, despite not qualifying under the law to hold them.

Addressing a press conference in Parliament on Sunday, November 8, the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, identified one Ibrahim Wallee as the person managing the travel and tour business in Ghana, with Bright Yeboah Owusu serving as his agent in Europe. Mr Jinapor alleged that applicants were assigned official positions and designations they did not occupy, or which did not exist, to facilitate their passport applications.

He further claimed that some officials assisted beneficiaries at the airport to avoid or minimise scrutiny by immigration officers. “As at now, our sources indicate that some 300 Ghanaians have travelled to Europe and other destinations using diplomatic and service passports allegedly issued through this arrangement,” he said. The Minority is calling for a parliamentary investigation to establish the number of people involved, how the alleged operation was facilitated and whether public officials benefited financially.

The Minority’s press conference, which was advertised earlier, came a few hours after the Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a statement to clarify the allegations. In that statement, the Ministry said it had revoked 10 Service Passports allegedly obtained through an illegal arrangement involving a syndicate operating within the passport administration system.

The affected documents were issued between January 2023 and August 2026 to individuals who, according to preliminary investigations, did not meet the requirements for obtaining Service Passports. It added that the beneficiaries were being pursued, including two individuals who allegedly travelled abroad using the illegally acquired documents in 2023.

Read Also: 10 illegally issued Service Passports cancelled as Foreign Affairs Ministry pursues beneficiaries The Ministry’s investigations followed two petitions received on October 8, 2026, prompting the establishment of an investigative committee on October 13, on the instructions of Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. The Ministry’s statement also announced that the Acting Director of Passports, Mahama Yahaya Amantana, and a junior Foreign Service Officer, Alhassan Sumani, have been interdicted and referred to the Ghana Police Service for further investigations and possible prosecution.