The Majority in Parliament has shifted the focus of Ghana’s service passport controversy to the previous Akufo-Addo administration, alleging that the irregular issuance scheme began in 2023 and was sustained through the recruitment of a key suspect into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Majority claims that Alhassan Sumani, whom it described as a former “goro boy”, was recruited into the Ministry on November 29, 2024, shortly before the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government left office.
Vice Chairman of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee, Cletus Dapilah, alleged that the recruitment was intended to allow Mr Sumani to continue his involvement in the alleged passport racketeering scheme from within the Ministry.
Speaking to Citi News, Mr Dapilah accused the NPP of politicising the ongoing investigations and urged the Minority Caucus to allow the relevant authorities to establish the facts.
He maintained that the alleged irregularities predated the current administration and should not be presented as a problem that emerged only under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.
The controversy centres on allegations that officials within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Passport Office facilitated the irregular issuance of Ghanaian service passports to individuals who did not qualify for them.
The Minority has alleged that hundreds of Ghanaians may have travelled abroad using passports obtained through the arrangement, raising concerns about the integrity of the country’s passport administration system.
The allegations have triggered investigations by the Foreign Affairs Ministry, resulting in the interdiction of Acting Director of Passports Mahama Yahaya Amantana and Foreign Service Officer Alhassan Sumani.
Both officials have been referred to the Ghana Police Service for further investigations and possible prosecution.
The Ministry has clarified that its preliminary inquiry focuses on the alleged irregular issuance of service passports and that it has not established evidence of the sale of Ghanaian diplomatic passports.
It has so far identified 10 service passports allegedly issued irregularly and cancelled all of them.
Mr Dapilah has also rejected the Minority’s call for Parliament to establish an ad hoc committee to investigate the matter.
He argued that the investigative committee constituted by the Foreign Affairs Ministry has the mandate and capacity to examine the allegations and establish the facts.
The controversy has intensified political exchanges between the Majority and Minority, even as investigations continue into the circumstances surrounding the alleged issuance of the passports.
