The Director of Passports, Yahaya Amantana Mahama, has reportedly been interdicted pending investigations into alleged irregularities in the acquisition of a service passport.
According to Asaase News, monitored by Angel Online, the interdiction follows a petition to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by a Ghanaian pastor and his wife over the acquisition of a service passport and related matters.
The report said a five member committee chaired by Ambassador Alexander Grant was constituted on October 13, 2026 to investigate the matter. The committee is expected to submit its findings to the sector Minister by the close of this week, barring any last minute changes.
Reports further indicated that Ambassador Francis Danti Kotia has been appointed to act as Director of Passports pending the outcome of the investigations.
Mahama’s reported interdiction comes against the background of a heated confrontation in Parliament on Tuesday, November 3, when Damongo MP, Samuel Abu Jinapor, attempted to raise allegations of an alleged racket involving Ghanaian diplomatic passports.
Jinapor told the House that there was evidence that diplomatic passports were being sold. Majority Leader, James Agaiga, objected to the allegation, arguing that it amounted to an accusation of criminal conduct which required supporting evidence.
Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, subsequently directed Jinapor to withdraw the claim or provide evidence. The exchanges escalated, leading to Jinapor being escorted out of the chamber by parliamentary marshals, while the Minority Caucus staged a walkout in protest.
The allegation that diplomatic passports are being sold has not been established by any investigation or court.
At a parliamentary press conference on Wednesday, November 4, Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, said the Minority intended to present evidence to support its claims of irregularities in the issuance of Ghanaian diplomatic passports.
He said the Foreign Affairs Ministry had obtained material suggesting that some travel documents were allegedly secured through false representations and impersonation at the Ministry.
He said the material would be made available for public scrutiny to allow its authenticity to be independently assessed and those implicated to respond.
“A diplomatic passport carries the authority and reputation of the Republic. Any credible indication that it is being obtained through false representations demands scrutiny of the highest seriousness,” Afenyo-Markin said.
He called for a parliamentary investigation under Article 103 of the 1992 Constitution, insisting that the allegations should be subjected to proper scrutiny.
“Let a mighty Minority make its case and let the evidence be examined and let the minister be heard. Let Parliament perform its duty and let the people decide,” he said.
The Minority’s position follows its walkout after the Speaker’s decision to remove Jinapor from the chamber.
Afenyo-Markin has maintained that Jinapor withdrew his remarks after being directed to do so by the Speaker, arguing that the subsequent decision to order him out was disproportionate.
The Majority has rejected the Minority’s characterisation of the matter.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Wednesday, Parliament’s majority leader, James Agalga reiterated that the allegations brought to the Ministry’s attention concerned service passports and not diplomatic passports.
Separately, an NPP petition dated October 30 to the United States Embassy in Accra raised related allegations, claiming that six people obtained service passport approvals using inaccurate official job descriptions.
