The passport offices, both Ridge and Tema station branches in the Greater Accra Region have now become a gold ground for connection men/ women mostly known as Goro boys and girls. These people act as middle men and are in league with passport officials who take money from passport applicants for fast processing.
Investigations made by Africa Migration and Research Foundation (AMARF) shows that a link have been created by the ‘Goro boys’ and girls’ with officials in the passport offices. The Director of AMARF, Mr. Jeff Ashley indicated that for about five months, AMARF has made thorough investigations to counter these claims or allegations which will marvel Ghanaians to know what is actually happening.
The Goro boys and girls who also act as visa contractors go out to fish for desperate people who need express passports and charge them huge sums of money between Gh¢ 600 to Gh¢700 after buying passport forms. Moreover the passport office premises have become their office where forms are filled for applicants and even endorsed.
However, at the Tema station branch, applicants who go through the proper process suffer rejection of their forms by the passport staffs. Most of them are made to sleep there overnight to be able to submit their forms on time only for these staff to take two hundred (200) submissions a day. They do this between the hours of 10 am and 2 pm leaving applicants miserable. "It is appalling to see applicants who are using legal means, stranded in queues for long hours every day for months and not attended to" the Director said. Most of them end up resorting to the whims of the Goro boys and girls. Applicants who have been able to submit their forms wait for four, six months or even a year before receiving their passports.
Furthermore, after monies are paid to these middle men, applicants are led straight into the office where pictures are captured. The Goro boys and girls place their client’s forms in front of their boss (passport officials) for immediate attention. Clients take less than an hour to go through the process and take pictures. They skip the normal process of joining a queue and waiting for their turn to be attended to. The Goro boys and girls promise them of receiving their passports in few weeks.
However information gathered shows that the promises made by them to provide passports to clients in two weeks become two or four months and sometimes even a year making them doubt their credibility. This makes them compensate their clients with money and give excuses that the machine used for printing the passports is faulty. They also deceive them by shifting blames to the Director of Passports that numbers are not issued on time.
AMARF interacted with some of these Goro boys and girls off camera to find out why they fail to fulfil their promises. Most of them emphasized that the new Director of Passport has made it difficult for them to have access to scanning and printing of documents.
Mr. Ashley revealed that one will not see a staff of passport office collecting money from a Goro at the premises. The collection is done outside the office rather than inside. The smart officials usually take their money immediately after their transactions to avoid future confusion or confrontation. Videos are available as evidence to all these activities.
Meanwhile, Goro boys and girls, including passport officials have special phone numbers purposely for these activities. They do not give out their real phone numbers which is known by close friends and relatives. This is done to avoid being traced should there be any problem.
He revealed that despite the numerous police at the gate, Goro boys and girls with their strong influence still make their way through to the premises and mostly by impersonating staffs of the Office. The police and other security personnel mostly molest Ghanaians on their own soil who wish to have access to the passport premises. Security personnel are supposed to exhibit high level of decorum and check for this activity to come to a halt are rather culprits.
The Director mentioned that cleaners, carpenters, plumbers and other casual workers who have been hired to work for a period of time also become middle men / women and have access to print out documents.
Investigations prove that almost every staff at the passport office is corrupt. Whenever the officials find out that the Director of Passports will be at the premises, they pretend to put up good behaviour and clear any sign or trace of fraudulent activities.
"Our security cameras have captured immigration officers who pay money to their colleague to help their clients", Mr. Jeff stated. In due time the full video evidences of these dubious acts will be made available to His Excellency the President, Director of Passports, Chief of Immigration and the Foreign Affairs, he added.
Mr. Ashley is pleading with the President to step in and help bring to book all those involved and enforce order for the right systems to work in the passport offices.
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