The Majority in Parliament has accused the former Akufo-Addo administration of facilitating an alleged service passport racketeering scheme at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, claiming the arrangement was sustained through the recruitment of a key suspect shortly before the government left office.
Vice Chairman of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee, Cletus Dapilah, alleged that Alhassan Sumani, whom he described as a former ‘goro boy’ operating within the Ministry, was recruited on November 29, 2024, towards the end of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.
He claimed the recruitment was intended to preserve Mr Sumani’s influence within the Ministry and allow his alleged involvement in the irregular issuance of service passports to continue.
Speaking on the controversy, Mr Dapilah accused the previous administration of establishing a network that facilitated passport racketeering and criticised the Minority Caucus for what he described as attempts to politicise the ongoing investigations.
“The NPP is funny. They are funny because you formed a cabal under your watch to perpetuate passport racketeering,” he said.
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The allegations have emerged amid investigations into the purported sale and irregular issuance of Ghanaian diplomatic and service passports to individuals who do not qualify for the travel documents.
The Minority has accused officials of the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Passport Office of facilitating the alleged sale, claiming that hundreds of Ghanaians may have travelled outside the country using passports obtained through the arrangement.
The controversy has resulted in the interdiction of the Acting Director of Passports, Mahama Yahaya Amantana, and Foreign Service Officer Alhassan Sumani by the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Both officials have also been referred to the Ghana Police Service for further investigations and possible prosecution.
However, the Ministry has clarified that its preliminary investigations concern allegations of irregular issuance of service passports, stressing that no evidence has so far established that Ghanaian diplomatic passports were being sold.
The Ministry has identified 10 service passports allegedly issued irregularly and cancelled all of them.
Mr Dapilah has also opposed the Minority’s demand for an ad hoc parliamentary committee to investigate the controversy, arguing that the committee constituted by the Foreign Affairs Ministry has the necessary mandate and capacity to establish the facts.
