The Minority in Parliament is set to file a motion seeking the establishment of an Ad Hoc Committee to investigate allegations of the sale and irregular issuance of Ghanaian diplomatic and service passports.
The caucus alleges that some officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Passport Office may have colluded with intermediaries to facilitate the acquisition of the privileged travel documents by individuals who do not qualify for them.
Addressing a press conference in Parliament, the Ranking Member on Foreign Affairs, Samuel Abu Jinapor, said documents obtained by the Minority suggested that some individuals allegedly paid money to secure official designations they did not hold in order to obtain diplomatic and service passports.
According to the Minority, the arrangement enabled some beneficiaries to travel abroad, particularly to European countries, using passports reserved for public officials and individuals undertaking official government assignments.
The caucus presented several approval letters purportedly signed on behalf of the Minister for Foreign Affairs to support its allegations.
In one set of documents issued within days of each other in June 2026, the same individual, identified as Mr. Amoh Boadi, allegedly appeared under two different official designations at separate institutions.
The documents reportedly described him as Deputy Director of Audit Services at the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council and Deputy District Coordinating Director at the Akrofuom District Assembly.
The Minority also presented letters approving service passports for individuals described as officials of the Ghana TVET Service, the Fisheries Commission and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO).
It claimed that its checks indicated that some of the individuals did not occupy the positions attributed to them, while certain positions cited in the documents did not exist.
The caucus further displayed bank deposit slips and mobile money transaction records which it said linked payments to an identified agent, Bright Yeboah Owusu, in connection with the alleged passport and travel arrangements.
The Minority argued that the alleged activities, if established, would constitute a serious breach of the country’s passport administration system and could undermine Ghana’s credibility with foreign governments.
It cited the Passports and Travel Certificates Act, which regulates the issuance of diplomatic and service passports to qualifying public officers and persons travelling on official state business.
Although acknowledging that an internal committee had been established by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to investigate the matter, the caucus insisted that a parliamentary inquiry would provide an independent platform for transparency and accountability.
The proposed Ad Hoc Committee is expected to examine all diplomatic and service passport approvals and issuances from January 7, 2025, to date.
Under the proposed terms of reference, the committee would investigate applications, approval letters, passport issuance records, payment trails and relevant electronic data.
It would also have the authority to summon officials and beneficiaries connected to the alleged transactions to assist with its investigations.
The Minority has appealed to the Majority in Parliament to support the motion, stressing that backing the proposed inquiry would not amount to accepting the allegations as established facts.
Rather, it said, the seriousness of the claims required a thorough and credible investigation to establish the facts and ensure that anyone found culpable is held accountable.
The caucus has pledged to pursue the matter until the circumstances surrounding the alleged irregular issuance of diplomatic and service passports are fully established.
