[REVISION HISTORY]

Ghana passport sale investigation

5 recorded revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-11-09 15:28 UTC → 2026-11-10 07:55 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Yahaya Amantana Mahama, the Director of Passports at Ghana's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was interdicted following allegations of irregularities regarding the sale of service and diplomatic passports to unauthorized individuals. Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa ordered the interdiction to facilitate an inquiry led by a five member committee chaired by Ambassador Alexander Grant. Subsequent investigation findings revealed that 10 service passports, issued between January 2023 and August 2026, were allegedly obtained through an illegal payment scheme involving amounts between US$5,000 and US$29,000. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has cancelled these documents and notified international partners. In addition to the interdiction of Mahama Yahaya Amantana, junior Foreign Service Officer Alhassan Sumani has been interdicted and referred to the Ghana Police Service. Sumani has been identified in petitions as the “alleged chief architect of the syndicate.” Authorities have also announced that retired Ambassador Mohammed Habib Idris, who served as Director of Passports in 2023, will be investigated by security services. The investigation was prompted by two petitions received in October 2026, with one petitioner claiming to have paid US$29,000 in 2023 and another alleging a US$5,000 payment in 2026. ~~Preliminary findings suggest the scheme has been operating since 2023, and the Ministry noted that two beneficiaries had already used the illegal documents to travel abroad.~~ The scope of the scandal has expanded following claims by the Minority in ~~Parliament. Parliamentary representatives~~ Parliament, who allege ~~the operation is significantly larger than the initial findings, claiming~~ approximately 300 Ghanaians may have used such passports to travel to Europe and other destinations. ~~The~~ While the Minority has ~~named Ibrahim Wallee and Bright Yeboah Owusu as alleged intermediaries in~~ called for a parliamentary probe, the ~~scheme. They allege applicants were assigned fictitious or conflicting government roles~~ Majority has rejected these calls, suggesting that accountability institutions should complete their work first. Additionally, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has launched a probe to ~~meet eligibility requirements~~ examine the approval and ~~that some officials helped beneficiaries bypass immigration scrutiny at airports.~~ issuance processes.

Versions

Select a version to see what changed compared to the one before it.