The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has opened investigations into alleged financial irregularities involving GH¢49.7 million spent on evacuating Ghanaians from South Africa, alongside suspected corruption in the issuance of Ghanaian Diplomatic and Service Passports.
In a case profile published by the Office, the OSP said both investigations were ongoing and focused on possible corruption and corruption-related offences.
On the South Africa evacuation, the Office said it was examining expenditure of GH¢49,721,786 reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaian nationals following xenophobic attacks and threats against foreign nationals.
According to the case profile, the exercise took place between May 27 and September 4, 2026, with the expenditure covering chartered flights, commercial tickets, transportation, accommodation, feeding, medical services and reintegration allowances.
The OSP said its investigation had identified discrepancies between the reported expenditure and payment records, including duplicate entries, inadequate supporting documents and payments allegedly recorded against beneficiaries who said they had not received them.
“The investigation seeks to establish how the funds were accounted for and disbursed, identify the recipients of the payments and determine whether any public officer or private individual improperly benefited,” the case profile indicated.
The Office clarified that its investigation concerned the management of public funds and not the government’s humanitarian decision to evacuate Ghanaian citizens.
Meanwhile, the OSP has also commenced investigations into alleged irregularities in the issuance of Ghanaian Diplomatic and Service Passports.
According to the case profile, the allegations involve a suspected arrangement through which individuals who did not qualify for the travel documents allegedly obtained them in exchange for payments to persons within the passport administration system.
The Office said preliminary investigations by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs identified 10 Service Passports suspected to have been irregularly issued between January 2023 and August 2026.
The Ministry also received two petitions alleging payments of US$29,000 and US$5,000 in connection with the suspected scheme, the statement said.
Two serving officers have reportedly been interdicted and referred to the Ghana Police Service for investigation and possible prosecution.
The Ministry has also indicated that the conduct of a former Director of Passports during the period under review would be examined.
The 10 passports have reportedly been cancelled, while efforts are underway to trace the beneficiaries, including individuals alleged to have used the documents for international travel.
The OSP said its investigation would examine the roles of those involved, trace the alleged payments and scrutinise the approval and issuance procedures to determine whether any corruption-related offences were committed.
The Office said further information would be released where appropriate, “without compromising the investigations”.
It also emphasised that all persons concerned are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Read the statement below:
