The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it welcomes the Office of the Special Prosecutor’s investigations and those of any other individuals, including the minority, into issues surrounding the Diplomatic passports. The ministry’s Media Relations Officer, Fred Duhoe, disclosed this on Globe TV’s News Lens on November 10, 2026, while addressing concerns over alleged irregularities in the issuance of passports.
Duhoe, stressed that its investigation found only 10 service passports fraudulently acquired. He noted that these passports have been cancelled, while maintaining that its investigations have so far uncovered no involvement of diplomatic passports..
“I want to put it on record that no diplomatic passports were involved. It is solely the service passports, per our investigation at the moment,” he said.
According to Duhoe, the ministry received a petition on October 8, prompting the Minister for Foreign Affairs to establish a committee to investigate. The committee began work on October 13, inviting people alleged to have been involved.
He said the petition came from an individual who had allegedly been promised a service passport in 2023 but had not received it.
Duhoe said preliminary findings indicated that an intermediary, whom he described as a “goro boy,” had been working with officials within the ministry to obtain service passports fraudulently since 2023.
He clarified that the intermediary was neither an employee of the ministry nor a member of staff of the Passport Office in 2023, until November 29, 2024.
According to Duhoe, the individual became familiar with the application procedures and allegedly circumvented established safeguards by forging signatures and letters before submitting documents directly to the Passport Office.
Duhoe said the acting director of the Passport Office had been interdicted over an alleged failure to conduct the necessary checks on documents submitted for processing.
He explained that the director was expected to verify the documents with the ministry, including the chief director, before authorising the issuance of the passports.
“It was his responsibility to check with the ministry, with the chief director … to authenticate those documents,” Duhoe said.
He added that the interdiction would allow the acting director to answer questions as part of the investigation.
Responding to claims by the Minority that about 300 people had acquired passports through irregular means, Duhoe said the ministry’s findings so far related to 10 service passports, all of which had been cancelled.
He also questioned the authenticity of passports displayed by the Minority, saying the ministry could not verify them from their appearance on camera alone.
Duhoe stressed that investigations were continuing and urged anyone with relevant evidence to submit it to the ministry.
He said the ministry welcomed the Minority’s call for Parliament to establish an ad hoc committee to investigate the matter and was prepared to present its evidence.
“We are ready with the evidence to meet the committee and submit those details to them,” he said.
Duhoe stressed that OSP is free to conduct any investigation and is ready to cooperate.
“OSP is free to do its work; we are not going to be a hindrance to their work.”
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