The Minority in Parliament has filed a private member’s motion, led by Ranking Member Samuel Abu Jinapor of the Foreign Affairs Committee, to establish a nine‑member ad‑hoc committee. The committee would probe allegations that diplomatic and service passports were sold and issued to persons who do not qualify under National Liberation Council Decree 155, as amended by PNDCL 310.
According to the motion, the inquiry would examine claims that government officials received payments through intermediaries to facilitate passport issuance, that false official designations were used, and that assistance was provided to help unqualified holders travel or evade immigration scrutiny. The committee would review applications, representations, approvals, payments and administrative acts linked to the allegations, and conduct a targeted review of all passport approvals from January 7, 2025, to the date the motion is adopted.
The Minority proposes a nine‑member panel drawn from both Majority and Minority caucuses, selecting members with expertise on relevant parliamentary committees. As interim measures, Parliament is urged to ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to suspend all diplomatic and service passport issuances until the inquiry concludes and to preserve all related documents and electronic records.
Preliminary findings by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs identified ten service passports allegedly issued irregularly between January 2023 and August 2026, and two petitions alleging payments of US$29,000 and US$5,000. Two officers have been interdicted and referred to the Ghana Police Service; the conduct of a former Director of Passports is also expected to be examined. The Office of the Special Prosecutor has begun investigations into the alleged corruption and irregularities.
Should Parliament approve the motion, the ad‑hoc committee would be tasked with uncovering the full scope of the scandal and recommending reforms to prevent future irregularities.
