Ghana: NPP Faces Service Passport Racketeering Claims

• Cletus Seidu Dapalah, Vice Chairperson of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, alleges service passport racketeering began in 2023 under the previous NPP administration.
• An intermediary, Alhassan Sumani, is accused of facilitating a visa-racketeering syndicate and forging documents after allegedly gaining access to Ministry letterhead.
• The Minority presented letters with allegedly forged Chief Director signatures as evidence, which the Ministry denies as authentic.
• Dapalah criticized the Minority for insufficient verification of their claims before public disclosure.
• The alleged activities started when former Deputy Minister Aprah Twum was responsible for passport applications, raising questions about his involvement.

The alleged scheme, according to Dapalah, commenced in 2023, during the tenure of the New Patriotic Party administration, which he claims failed to curb the illicit activities.

Cletus Seidu Dapalah, who serves as the Vice Chairperson of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee, has leveled serious accusations against the former New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration. He claims that a scheme involving service passport racketeering commenced in 2023 under their watch, and they allegedly failed to take action to stop it. These allegations point to a significant breach in the integrity of Ghana's passport issuance system.

Central to these claims is an individual identified as Alhassan Sumani, described as an intermediary who reportedly operated in close proximity to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Passport Application Centre. Mr. Dapalah alleges that Sumani was instrumental in facilitating a broader visa-racketeering syndicate. A specific instance cited involves Sumani allegedly collecting funds from a pastor and his spouse in exchange for service passports, yet failing to deliver all the promised documents. The couple is reportedly still seeking repayment for their money.

The Minority group has presented what they claim to be evidence of these irregularities: letters purportedly bearing the signature of the Ministry’s Chief Director. These documents allegedly approved passports for individuals who did not hold the public positions necessary to qualify for such documents. However, Fred Doho, a spokesperson for the Ministry, has countered these claims, asserting that the signatures on the letters were forged and that the documents did not originate from the Ministry itself.

Mr. Dapalah has criticized the Minority's approach, suggesting they did not adequately verify their information before making it public. He emphasized the importance of thorough analysis, interrogation, and double-checking of facts in oversight duties, implying that the Minority's data lacked depth and sufficient corroboration before being released to the media.

The alleged service passport racketeering, according to Mr. Dapalah, began in 2023, a period when the New Patriotic Party was in power. He further alleged that Alhassan Sumani was recruited into the Ministry on November 29, 2024, following the general election, at a time when the NPP was preparing to transition out of office. This recruitment, Dapalah claims, provided Sumani with access to the Ministry's official letterhead, which he then allegedly utilized to forge the Chief Director's signature on various passport-related documents.

Adding another layer to the political context, Mr. Dapalah questioned the presence of former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aprah Twum, at a Minority press conference addressing the issue. He highlighted that the alleged illicit activities began during Twum's tenure, when the former minister was responsible for overseeing passport applications, suggesting a potential connection or oversight failure during that period.

This article highlights significant corruption and fraud allegations within Ghana's passport issuance system, potentially leading to criminal investigations and increased scrutiny on official document verification. Lawyers and compliance officers should advise clients on enhanced due diligence for government-issued credentials and be aware of the risks associated with intermediaries claiming connections to government ministries, particularly regarding the authenticity of documents and signatures.

Source: Original reporting via JoyFM