Ablakwa cannot be blamed for alleged passport irregularities

A private legal practitioner and member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Communications Team, Theophilus Dzimega, has defended Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa against criticism over the alleged irregular issuance of Service Passports.

He argues that the Minister should not be held responsible for alleged misconduct by junior officers, particularly where there are established administrative structures and officials responsible for processing passport applications.

Speaking on Accra-based TV3’s New Day programme on Monday, November 9, Mr Dzimega said the Minister was not expected to personally scrutinise every application or oversee the day-to-day operations of the Passport Office.

“Honourable Ablakwa, whoever the minister will be, will not have the day-to-day micromanagement of the issuers of a passport. It never happens. Otherwise, his work will be incredibly slow and will not be able to do anything,” he said.

“For me, it is much ado about nothing. If it is that the government, having been petitioned, decided that it's not an issue, let's move on, then you have a cause to complain. But immediately steps were taken to get to the bottom of this and to correct the situation,” he added.

Mr Dzimega's comments come amid public scrutiny of the Ministry following preliminary findings into an alleged passport-for-sale scheme involving people who did not qualify for Service Passports.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Sunday, November 8, that it had identified 10 Service Passports allegedly issued irregularly between January 2023 and August 2026.

All 10 documents have been cancelled, while the Acting Director of Passports, Mahama Yahaya Amantana, and junior Foreign Service Officer Alhassan Sumani have been interdicted and referred to the Ghana Police Service for further investigation.

According to the Ministry, the investigation followed two petitions received in October 2026.

One petitioner alleged paying US$29,000 in 2023, while another claimed to have paid US$5,000 in 2026 to secure the documents.