The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has disclosed that a National Security officer implicated in alleged illegal charges of attestation of travel documents has been sanctioned by the security agency and barred from the Ministry’s premises as investigations continue.
The officer, identified as Michael Gomeh, was assigned by the Security agency to be stationed at the Minstry according to the Forth Estate.
However, in an investigation by The Fourth Estate into allegations that applicants seeking the attestation and validation of documents were being charged amounts far above the approved fees through unofficial intermediaries he was ‘implicated’.
According to The Fourth Estate, applicants who should have paid the approved fee for document attestation were allegedly charged significantly higher amounts by unofficial facilitators operating within or around the Ministry.
The investigation found that while the approved fee for attestation services was GH¢200, some applicants were allegedly charged as much as GH¢1,200 for the same service.
In one undercover operation, The Fourth Estate reported that its undercover reporter was allegedly directed to Mr Gomeh, who charged GH¢900 to facilitate the attestation of documents. The documents were later processed with an official receipt reflecting a substantially lower amount.
The investigation also raised questions about the effectiveness of existing verification procedures after the undercover reporter was able to obtain endorsed documents despite submitting information that The Fourth Estate said was false.
In its response to the investigation, the Ministry has commended The Fourth Estate for its work, describing the exposé as a contribution to public accountability, good governance and efforts to improve service delivery.
“The Ministry commends The Fourth Estate for its investigative endeavours and appreciates its contribution towards enhancing good governance, public accountability and operational efficiency,” the Ministry stated.
The Ministry, however, condemned the activities of unauthorised intermediaries and third-party facilitators who take advantage of members of the public seeking its services.
It maintained that it had a zero-tolerance policy towards middlemen involved in the acquisition of attestation documents and urged members of the public to deal directly with designated officers and official service channels.
“The Ministry, however, wishes to assure the general public that it maintains a zero-tolerance policy on middlemen or third-party facilitators in the acquisition of attestation documents and is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and ethical service delivery to the public,” the statement said.
The Ministry further explained that the attestation process involves multiple public institutions across different arms of government, making stronger inter-agency coordination necessary to safeguard the integrity and credibility of the process.
It stated that efforts to strengthen multi-institutional coordination and verification mechanisms had been underway for several months, a development also referenced in The Fourth Estate’s investigation.
According to the Ministry, it had already begun comprehensive reforms of its consular and attestation services before the investigation was published. These reforms include efforts to introduce a fully cashless payment system and develop digital platforms that would support the entire attestation process and significantly reduce human interaction.
The Ministry affirmed that it was confident that the reforms would improve transparency, reduce opportunities for abuse and strengthen public confidence in the delivery of consular services.
The latest development comes after The Fourth Estate’s investigation exposed what it described as an alleged system of unofficial charges and facilitation involving applicants seeking travel document attestation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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