Minority Says Diplomatic and Service Passports Must Not Be Sold

The Minority in Parliament has spoken out against the alleged sale of Ghanaian Diplomatic and Service Passports. It insists that the documents should go only to people who are legally entitled to them and who need them for official work.

The Minority's comments come after the Foreign Affairs Ministry announced that it had cancelled 10 Service Passports. The ministry said the passports were allegedly given to people who were not eligible for them.

The cancellations are part of ongoing investigations into an alleged passport-for-sale scheme. The scheme is said to have been running since 2023.

Samuel Abu Jinapor, the Ranking Member on Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, addressed the matter at a press conference on Sunday, November 8. He said the passports in question should never have been issued.

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Mr Jinapor explained that both types of passport give their holders very similar visa-free travel. He said this makes them appealing to people who want easier entry into other countries.

"There is no much difference between Diplomatic and Service Passports," he said.

According to Mr Jinapor, holders of Diplomatic Passports can enter 62 countries without a visa. Service Passport holders can enter 59 countries visa-free.

He said only three countries treat the two passports differently when it comes to visas. These are Hong Kong, Qatar and Turkey. The other 59 countries, he said, regard the two documents as effectively the same.

Mr Jinapor said he understood why such travel benefits might attract people hoping to go abroad. However, he stressed that the passports exist to serve official purposes.

"They are not privileges to be sold to anyone willing to pay," he said.

The Minority's position was first reported by Citi News.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry has not yet said publicly who received the cancelled passports or who was allegedly behind the scheme. Investigations into the matter are continuing.