The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied media reports that the Director of Passports Mr. Eric Odoi Anim has been dismissed.
Mr. Eric Odoi Anim was arrested by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) after being implicated in the alleged fraudulent acquisition of a passport by a former Member of Parliament (MP) for Nkoranza North Constituency, Eric Amoateng.
Mr. Odoi Anim was later reported to have been sacked for supporting the activities of illegal passport contractors while in office.
Think tank IMANI Ghana called on government to immediately reinstate Mr. Eric Odoi Anim.
But a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affiars described the reports of Mr. Anim’s dismissal as inaccurate.
“We are intrigued that the supposed call for the reinstatement of the sacked Director of Passports by IMANI Ghana and the analysis thereon are based on a report of another paper, “The Herald”, which did not contact this ministry for its primary report and yet such a disparaged report is the basis for the unwarranted attack by IMANI Ghana on the Ministry and the questionable conclusions that it has made,” the press statement noted.
The Ministry further stated that Mr. Eric Odoi-Anim remains a full time employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, adding that he has been reassigned as the Director of the Administration Bureau.
“Mr. Odoi-Anim applied for six (6) days leave which was approved and he has since resumed work. The ministry is therefore, not aware of any purported revocation of the appointment of Mr. Odoi-Anim as an employee of the Ministry nor about any variation of the terms of his employment as claimed in the report. Rather, Mr. Odoi-Anim has been reassigned as Director of the Administration Bureau”.
Speaking on Eyewitness News, the Editor of the Herald Newspaper, Mr. Larry Dogbe dismissed the claims and insisted, “Mr. Odoi has been removed from the passport office. He has been sacked from there and he is under investigation.”