Minority alleges 300 Ghanaians travelled abroad on passports obtained through an illegal scheme

The Minority in Ghanaian Parliament has accused around 300 citizens of traveling abroad using passports allegedly obtained through an illicit scheme involving Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials and the Passport Office. A press conference was held on November 8 at Parliament where Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, named Ibrahim Wallee as the mastermind behind the travel and tour business that facilitated the passport acquisition.

His agent in Europe, Bright Yeboah Owusu, was also mentioned. Jinapor alleged that these applicants were granted positions they did not hold or did not exist to make their passport applications. He further claimed that some officials aided the beneficiaries at airports to evade or lessen the scrutiny of immigration officials. Jinapor stated, "To date, our sources indicate that some 300 Ghanaians have journeyed to Europe and various other locations using diplomatic and service passports allegedly issued via this illicit arrangement."

The Minority is demanding a parliamentary probe to ascertain the extent of the involvement, the methods used to carry out the operation, and whether any public officials profited financially. This announcement came shortly after the Foreign Affairs Ministry released a statement revoking 10 Service Passports obtained through an illegal arrangement.

The affected passports were issued between January 2023 and August 2026 to individuals who did not meet the legal requirements. The Ministry added that the beneficiaries were being pursued, including two people who allegedly traveled abroad with the unlawfully acquired documents in 2023.