Passport scandal: Acting Director of Passports interdicted as 10 illegally issued Service Passports cancelled

The Ministry says ten people allegedly obtained Service Passports through illegal payments, and the documents have been cancelled.

A retired Director of Passports will also be investigated, while the Ministry says there is no evidence that Diplomatic Passports were being sold.

The Acting Director of Passports, Mahama Yahaya Amantana, has been interdicted following an investigation into an alleged scheme involving the illegal sale of Ghanaian Service Passports to people who did not qualify to receive them.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the interdiction in a statement issued on Sunday, November 8, 2026, explaining that the officer had also been referred to the Ghana Police Service for further investigations and possible prosecution.

A junior Foreign Service Officer, Alhassan Sumani, who was also named in petitions submitted to the Ministry, has equally been interdicted and referred to the police.

According to the Ministry, Sumani was identified in the petitions as the alleged principal figure behind the scheme. It further stated that he operated as a “goro boy” in 2023 before being recruited into the Foreign Service on November 29, 2024.

The investigation followed two petitions received by the Ministry, with the first submitted on October 8, 2026, and the second in 2026. The first petitioner claimed to have paid US$29,000, while the second alleged paying US$5,000 to individuals involved in the operation.

The Ministry said a committee was established on October 13, 2026, on the instructions of the Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to investigate the allegations.

Preliminary findings by the Ministry have confirmed that ten people who allegedly did not qualify for Service Passports were issued the documents after making illegal payments to a syndicate.

The individuals named in the statement are Richard Sakyi Apenteng, Augustina Agyei Boateng, Juliet Amankwa, Rebecca Agyeiwaa, Prince Ahensah, Maybel Ahensah, Twumasi Francis Kwame, Gyabaah Anthony, Frederick Ennin and Bosompem Richard.

The passports were issued between January 2023 and August 2026. The Ministry said all ten documents had been cancelled and could no longer be used.

It added that Ghana’s international partners had been notified, while efforts were underway to pursue the individuals involved. Two of the people named reportedly used the illegally acquired passports to travel in 2023.

The Ministry also indicated that Ambassador Mohammed Habib Idris, who was Director of Passports during the period in 2023 under investigation and has since retired, would be investigated by the security services and sanctioned if found culpable.

The Ministry stressed that the allegations under investigation concern Service Passports and not Diplomatic Passports.

It said no evidence had so far emerged to suggest that Ghana’s Diplomatic Passports were being sold.

According to official data from the Passport Office, 1,397 Service Passports were issued between 2009 and 2016, compared with 3,174 between 2017 and 2024 and 754 from 2025 to date.

For Diplomatic Passports, the figures were 2,899 between 2009 and 2016, 5,682 between 2017 and 2024 and 1,944 from 2025 to date.

The Ministry said it remained committed to transparency, impartiality and accountability, adding that it would ensure that anyone found culpable was brought to justice.

It also maintained that the alleged scheme predated the current administration, but said the investigation was part of efforts to protect the credibility of Ghana’s passport administration system.