The Controller and Accountant General’s Department has denied claims that there is shortage of passport forms in the selected banks across the country.
The Head of Public Relations at the Department, Robert Cudjoe, explained that all ten banks mandated to sell the forms have purchased over five thousand forms this year.
[contextly_sidebar id=”e29nizhL3la5UTJP9V4K7YtLG1dk5Xu1″]Citi News’ checks last week confirmed the shortage which has lasted for over a month.
The situation forced frustrated applicants to troop to the passport office for answers.
But the Passport Office told Citi News it is not to blame for the reported shortage, blaming it on the Controller and Accountant General’s Department.
“It is the Controller and Accountant General’s department that buys and supplies the banks with the forms. We don’t sell the forms, it is the Controller and Accountant General’s Department that is responsible for that,” Director of Passports, Alexander Grant added.
But Mr. Cudjoe says they have enough forms in stock for the banks should they run out of forms.
“We have about 135,000 passport forms in stock. It’s left with the banks…to purchase and sell to the public. Zenith banks has bought about 20,000 forms, Unibank, 20,000 forms, NIB, 5,000, UBA 5,000, Bank of Africa, 2000, Adb, 9,000. Access bank, 6,000, GCB, Fidelity bank and Ecobank purchased theirs at the latter part of last year and I believe they still have enough forms left. Apart from these quantities that were purchased, we still have about 125,000 passport forms in stock. So if somebody says that passport forms are short in supply, we don’t know where it is coming from.”
The Passport Office had suggested the banks were perhaps hoarding the forms in anticipation that prices were going to go up.
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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana