Minority presents bank, mobile money records in alleged diplomatic passport-selling scheme

The Minority in Parliament presented financial records to support allegations of an operation selling Ghanaian diplomatic and service passports. The evidence included bank receipts and mobile money transaction records. It matters because the records may help investigators trace who received money and what the payments were allegedly for.

Two GCB Bank cash deposit receipts were dated June 15 and June 24, 2026. The mobile money records also included transactions on June 24. The people who supplied the documents said the payments covered diplomatic and service passports and promised travel arrangements.

The Minority said the records identified Bright Yeboah Owusu as an alleged recipient of payments made for officials of the Foreign Affairs Ministry and Passport Office. It said the documents would be submitted to Parliament as evidence for a proposed investigation. The allegations remain subject to investigation.

The Minority described Bright Yeboah Owusu and Ibrahim Wallee as participants in an alleged passport-selling arrangement. Their alleged roles matter because they suggest the operation may have involved coordination inside Ghana and an overseas contact point in Europe.

According to Samuel Abu Jinapor, Owusu was the alleged recipient of payments made on behalf of officials of the Foreign Affairs Ministry and Passport Office. The Minority further alleged that Owusu served as an agent in Europe. Ibrahim Wallee was identified as the person allegedly managing the arrangement in Ghana.

These descriptions came from the Minority’s presentation of payment records and allegations at a parliamentary press conference. The documents were to be submitted to Parliament for a proposed investigation. The article does not report a final finding against either man, so their alleged roles remain claims under investigation.

Diplomatic and service passports are government-issued travel documents for people performing qualifying official duties. They are different from ordinary passports because eligibility depends on a person’s government role or assignment, not simply citizenship and a need to travel. Their restricted use helps distinguish official travel from private travel.

A diplomatic passport is generally associated with diplomats and senior representatives conducting state business. A service passport is generally issued to eligible public officials travelling for government work, though not necessarily as diplomats. The exact rules depend on national law and administrative policy. The article focuses on Ghanaian documents and says the revoked service passports went to people who did not meet the requirements.

The distinction matters because using a special passport without eligibility can undermine passport controls and official representation. Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said 10 service passports were obtained through an illegal arrangement. It revoked them after preliminary investigations found the beneficiaries did not qualify.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry said it had revoked 10 Service Passports connected to an alleged illegal arrangement inside the passport administration system. The scale matters because the documents were issued over several years and involved people who allegedly failed to meet the eligibility requirements.

The affected passports were issued between January 2023 and August 2026. Preliminary investigations found that the beneficiaries did not qualify for Service Passports. The Ministry also said it was pursuing the beneficiaries, including two individuals who allegedly travelled abroad using the documents in 2023.

The reported travel does not change the stated total of 10 revoked passports. It shows, however, that at least some of the documents were allegedly used outside Ghana before the issue was addressed. The Ministry’s investigations began after two petitions received on October 8, 2026, and continued through an investigative committee established on October 13.

Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Ministry responded by cancelling 10 Service Passports allegedly obtained through an illegal arrangement. It also began pursuing the beneficiaries, including two people who allegedly travelled abroad with the documents. These steps were meant to address both the invalid documents and the people who obtained them.

The Ministry received two petitions on October 8, 2026. On October 13, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa instructed the creation of an investigative committee. The Ministry said the committee’s preliminary work found that the affected beneficiaries did not meet the requirements for Service Passports.

The Acting Director of Passports, Mahama Yahaya Amantana, and junior Foreign Service Officer Alhassan Sumani were interdicted. They were referred to the Ghana Police Service for further investigations and possible prosecution. The Minority also planned to submit payment records to Parliament as evidence for its proposed investigation.

Diplomatic and service passports are normally restricted because they are tied to government work, official status, or specific public-service assignments. They are not simply upgraded versions of ordinary passports. Eligibility rules help ensure that only people with a recognized official reason receive documents carrying that special status.

The restriction also creates accountability. Authorities can check whether an applicant holds the required position, assignment, or authorization before issuing the document. In this case, Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said 10 Service Passports went to individuals who did not meet the requirements. It described the documents as part of an illegal arrangement within the passport administration system.

Keeping access limited protects the credibility of official travel documents and makes misuse easier to detect. The Ministry revoked the 10 passports and pursued their beneficiaries. It also referred two officials to police after interdicting them, while the Minority sought a parliamentary investigation into alleged payments and passport sales.

A passport system verifies identity by comparing an application with official records and supporting documents. It also checks whether the applicant is entitled to the document, such as through citizenship or an authorized government role. For diplomatic or service passports, eligibility includes the required official position or assignment.

In practice, an applicant’s personal details, photographs, and identifying information are checked against government records. Officials then confirm the reason for requesting a special passport and whether the relevant authority has approved it. The article does not describe Ghana’s precise verification procedures, but it says preliminary investigations found that 10 beneficiaries did not meet Service Passport requirements.

The case shows why each stage matters. If an ineligible person receives a document, authorities may revoke it and pursue the beneficiary. Ghana also interdicted two officials and referred them to police for further investigation and possible prosecution. These actions followed petitions and an investigative committee.