Foreign Affairs Ministry refers 2 interdicted officers to police over illegal passport scheme

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has referred two of its officers to the Ghana Police Service for further investigations and possible prosecution over their alleged involvement in an illegal Service Passport issuance scheme.

The officers are the Acting Director of Passports, Mahama Yahaya Amantana, and a junior Foreign Service Officer, Alhassan Sumani, who have both been interdicted pending investigations into the matter.

According to the Ministry, Mr Sumani, who was recruited into the Foreign Service on November 29, 2024, was named in all the petitions as the alleged chief architect of the scheme. He is also accused of operating as a “goro boy” in 2023 before joining the Foreign Service.

In a statement issued on Sunday, November 8, 2026, the Ministry said the decision to refer the two officers to the police followed preliminary findings into allegations that individuals who did not qualify for Service Passports obtained them through illegal payments to a syndicate.

The investigation was triggered by two petitions received on October 8, 2026, with the Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, subsequently directing the formation of a committee on October 13 to examine the allegations.

The Ministry further disclosed that retired Ambassador Mohammed Habib Idris, who was Director of Passports during the period in 2023 when some of the irregularities occurred, would also be investigated by the security services and sanctioned if found culpable.

It said it was committed to ensuring that all persons implicated in the alleged scheme are held accountable, adding that the investigation would be guided by transparency, impartiality and fairness.