The Minority Caucus in Parliament has formally initiated moves to establish a nine-member Ad Hoc Committee to investigate allegations of the sale and irregular issuance of Ghanaian diplomatic and service passports, amid concerns that some individuals who allegedly do not qualify for the travel documents may have obtained them through false representations and unauthorised payments.
The proposed parliamentary inquiry, contained in a Private Members’ Motion submitted to the Clerk to Parliament, is being sponsored by the Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Damongo MP, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor, together with the Deputy Ranking Member, Hon. Nana Asafo-Adjaye Ayeh, Okaikwei Central MP Patrick Yaw Boamah, Atiwa West MP Laurette Asante Korkor and Okere MP Daniel Nana Addo-Kenneth.
The motion, brought pursuant to Article 103 of the 1992 Constitution and relevant provisions of Parliament’s Standing Orders, seeks to compel a comprehensive examination of the circumstances surrounding the alleged sale, approval, issuance and use of diplomatic and service passports.
The Minority wants Parliament to investigate claims that some individuals who are neither government officials nor civil or public servants obtained the passports despite allegedly failing to meet the legal requirements for holding them. It also wants the committee to establish whether public officers and private intermediaries received money to facilitate the acquisition of the documents.
At the centre of the proposed investigation are allegations that some applicants used false official designations and inaccurate representations about their employment status to secure service passports through approvals purportedly granted on behalf of the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
The motion cites several approval letters issued between June and August 2026, involving individuals described as officials of the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council, Akrofuom District Assembly, Ghana Technical and Vocational Education and Training Service, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the Fisheries Commission.
According to the applicants, some of the persons listed in those documents are alleged not to have held the positions attributed to them, raising questions about the verification procedures applied before the passports were approved.
Specifically, the Minority draws Parliament’s attention to letters dated June 1, June 4 and June 5, 2026, which reportedly authorised the issuance of service passports to individuals presented as officials of the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council, Akrofuom District Assembly and Ghana TVET Service.
It also refers to two other letters dated August 6 and August 7, 2026, concerning persons described as officials of NADMO and the Fisheries Commission.
The MPs argue that the circumstances surrounding the approvals require independent parliamentary scrutiny to determine whether the applicants genuinely occupied the positions stated in their applications and whether the relevant institutions properly recommended them for the travel documents.
The motion further identifies five individuals whose alleged possession of diplomatic or service passports has become part of the concerns raised by the Minority. They are Wallee Ibrahim, Fosuaa Millicent, Bosompem Richard, Enning Frederick and Asante Rebecca Arthur.
The applicants contend that these individuals are neither government officials nor civil or public servants and therefore may not qualify under the relevant legal provisions to hold diplomatic or service passports.
They have attached copies of the biodata pages of the passports and other supporting documents to the motion, while also citing accounts from persons who allegedly paid money through intermediaries to secure the documents.
The Minority wants the proposed committee to establish who received the payments, the amounts involved, the identities of the ultimate beneficiaries and whether any public officers used their positions or influence to facilitate the alleged transactions.
The motion also raises concerns about the reported interdiction of the Director of Passports, Mr. Yahaya Amantana Mahama, in connection with investigations into the alleged irregular issuance of passports.
Another major issue the MPs want investigated is a claim that approximately 300 Ghanaians are currently in Europe after allegedly travelling with irregularly issued diplomatic and service passports to circumvent applicable visa requirements.
The proposed committee is expected to establish the authenticity and status of the passports issued during the period under review and determine whether any official assistance was provided to facilitate travel or avoid normal immigration scrutiny.
The Minority argues that the controversy goes beyond administrative irregularities within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, warning that the credibility of Ghanaian diplomatic and service passports depends on the confidence foreign governments and immigration authorities have in the country’s passport administration system.
According to the MPs, any abuse of the process could undermine Ghana’s international standing and potentially affect legitimate diplomatic and official travel by qualified public officers.
In setting out the legal basis for the proposed investigation, the motion relies on Article 103 of the Constitution, which empowers Parliament to establish committees to examine the activities and administration of government institutions.
It also cites Standing Orders 209, 212, 213 and 262, which provide for the composition, powers and establishment of parliamentary committees, including special or ad hoc committees to investigate matters of public importance.
The applicants further refer to Article 35(8) of the Constitution, which requires the State to take steps to eradicate corrupt practices and abuse of power, as well as Articles 23 and 296, which demand fairness, legality, reasonableness and due process in administrative decisions.
They also invoke the Passports and Travel Certificates Act, 1967 (NLCD 155), as amended by the Passports and Travel Certificates (Amendment) Law, 1993 (PNDCL 310), which regulates the issuance of Ghanaian passports, including diplomatic and service passports.
The MPs particularly draw attention to the statutory provisions governing the categories of persons eligible for diplomatic and service passports, arguing that the law must be strictly observed in the approval and issuance of the documents.
They also point to Section 11 of the legislation, which provides that passports issued under the law remain the property of the Government of Ghana.
Under the proposed arrangement, the Ad Hoc Committee will comprise nine Members drawn from both the Majority and Minority caucuses, with its membership approved by Parliament in accordance with Article 103(5) of the Constitution and the relevant Standing Orders.
The Minority wants the committee to include Members with expertise in foreign affairs, constitutional and legal affairs, defence and interior, security and intelligence, and public administration.
Its proposed investigative powers are extensive. The committee would be empowered to summon witnesses, examine them under oath or affirmation and compel the production of documents and electronic records relevant to the allegations.
Among the records it intends to examine are passport applications, institutional recommendations, approval letters, issuance and collection records, financial transactions, official correspondence and electronic audit trails.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Chief Director of the Ministry, the interdicted Director of Passports, Mr. Bright Yeboah Owusu, relevant passport and immigration officers, applicants and other material witnesses are expected to assist the inquiry.
The committee would also be permitted to engage lawyers and specialists in forensic accounting, digital evidence, document examination and passport administration to support its work.
Where necessary, it could request the examination of witnesses abroad, seek cooperation from international immigration authorities and report any obstruction of its proceedings to Parliament for consideration as contempt.
Beyond the specific transactions identified in the motion, the Minority is seeking a targeted review of all approvals and issuances of Ghanaian diplomatic and service passports from January 7, 2025, to the date Parliament adopts the motion.
The proposed investigation could also extend to earlier records where necessary to establish the background and circumstances of transactions connected to the allegations.
The committee would be required to examine whether the issuance of the passports complied with statutory requirements, whether applicants were properly vetted, whether official discretion was exercised lawfully and whether any public officers or intermediaries benefited financially from the process.
It would also investigate the adequacy of the Ministry’s internal controls and supervisory arrangements, including whether failures in verification and oversight created opportunities for the alleged irregularities.
The applicants are proposing that the committee submit its final report to Parliament within 60 days of its first sitting, with the possibility of a single extension of up to 30 days where sufficient reasons are established.
The report is expected to contain detailed findings, identify responsibility where wrongdoing is established and recommend administrative, legislative and other measures to prevent a recurrence.
The Minority is further proposing that, following the adoption of the report, Parliament should institute quarterly monitoring through the relevant Standing Committees until the recommendations are implemented.
Where the inquiry uncovers evidence of criminal conduct, the motion proposes that the report be referred to the Attorney-General, the Office of the Special Prosecutor, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) for the appropriate investigations and possible prosecution.
The MPs also want the report transmitted to the President with a request for executive action, including the termination of officials found to have been involved in wrongdoing and the introduction of reforms to strengthen passport administration.
In a move that could have significant implications for official travel, the Minority is asking Parliament to call on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to suspend the issuance of all diplomatic and service passports until the committee completes its work.
The motion also urges the Ministry and other relevant institutions to preserve all documents, electronic records, communications and other evidence connected to the matter to prevent destruction, alteration, concealment or unauthorised access.
It further calls for the Ministry to provide the committee with details of all diplomatic and service passports issued from January 7, 2025, and urges the relevant authorities to protect complainants and witnesses against intimidation, interference or reprisals.
The President is also being asked to consider the precautionary suspension of officials with primary responsibility for the alleged scheme to protect the integrity of the investigation.
The applicants maintain that the proposed inquiry should be conducted impartially, with affected persons given a fair opportunity to respond to the allegations. They also want hearings to be open to the public, except where national security considerations or the safety of witnesses require confidentiality.
The motion comes amid growing public attention surrounding allegations of irregular passport issuance within the Foreign Affairs Ministry. However, the claims remain allegations to be tested through an independent investigation, and the proposed parliamentary committee is yet to be established.
If adopted, the motion would place the passport controversy before Parliament for a wider examination of the officials, intermediaries, administrative procedures and institutional controls involved in the issuance of Ghana’s diplomatic and service passports.
