Two Passport Officers Interdicted Over Illegal Sale Of Service Passports
Two officers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been interdicted over their alleged involvement in an illegal Service Passport issuance scheme which had been operating since 2023.
The Acting Director of Passports, Mr Mahama Yahaya Amantana, and a junior Foreign Service Officer, Alhassan Sumani (FSO A5), have been interdicted and referred to the Ghana Police Service for further investigations and possible prosecution.
The interdiction was announced in a statement on passport administration in Ghana issued in Accra on November 8, 2026, following two petitions pointing to the scheme.
A 2023 petitioner claimed he paid US$29,000.00, while a 2026 petitioner stated that he paid US$5,000.00 to those involved in the criminal cartel.
On the instructions of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (MP), a committee was promptly set up on October 13, 2026, after the first petition was received on October 8, 2026, to investigate the matter.
Mr Sumani has been named in all the petitions as the chief architect of the scheme. According to the Ministry, he operated as a “goro boy” in 2023 before he was recruited into the Foreign Service on November 29, 2024.
In the interest of fairness, impartiality and non-discrimination, the Director of Passports for the 2023 period in issue, Ambassador Mohammed Habib Idris, who is now retired, would also be investigated by the security services and sanctioned if found culpable, just like his counterpart, Mr Amantana.
The Ministry’s preliminary findings have confirmed that ten persons who did not qualify to be issued with Service Passports were issued the documents since 2023 after allegedly making illegal payments to a syndicate.
All ten passports have been cancelled, and international partners have been duly notified.
The Ministry said it was apparent that the Service Passport for Sale Scheme was a sophisticated operation which predated the current administration, but it was glad that the masterminds have finally been exposed due to heightened diligence and zero tolerance for corruption.
It assured Ghanaians and international partners that the culprits will be brought to justice with full transparency, impartiality and accountability, stressing that so far, no evidence has emerged that Ghana’s Diplomatic Passports are being sold.
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