GIS Explains Belgian Girl’s Arrest, Deportation

The Management of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has explained the circumstances leading to the arrest and subsequent deportation of a Belgian national, Shalimar Abbiusi.

The explanation is the first from the GIS since the deportation of the Belgian national “whose recent activities on social media came to the attention of the Ghana Immigration Service. She was seen in a video introducing herself as the spokesperson of The New Force, a new political group.”

The activities of the lady, the GIS pointed out, “drew interest and her immigration status was investigated. It was established that she was on a student permit tenable with a private university.”

Further inquiries from the school, the GIS stated, “indicated that she was not a student of the school. The university wrote to the GIS to confirm that fact.”

Following the foregone, the GIS explained that “it was then suspected that she had obtained the permit by fraudulent misrepresentation and arrested for investigations.”

She was arraigned before court and remanded accordingly on December 7, 2023, the statement continued.

At the subsequent court date, she was granted bail to enable prosecution to proceed, the GIS stated, adding that “the charges against her were withdrawn and she was discharged by the court on December 19, 2023.

She was however re-arrested by the GIS because her residence permit had been revoked by the Comptroller-General pursuant to Section 20 (2)(a) of Immigration Act, 2000, Act 573, as she had obtained the students’ permit by fraudulent misrepresentation. Per the law, the GIS statement stressed, “Ms. Shalimar Abbiusi could not remain in Ghana and the Comptroller-General ordered her removal from the country.

“Consequently, she was repatriated on December 19, 2023 aboard Air Brussels Flt. No. SN 319 back to her home country.

“The GIS will like to caution all foreign nationals in the country to strictly adhere to the country’s immigration laws. Any infringement will lead to prosecution.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Immigration Service assures the good people of Ghana that it will continue to rigorously enforce immigration laws of the country to remove all undocumented persons whose presence in the country is a threat to our national security out of the country, according to the statement signed by C/Supt Michael Amoako-Atta, Head of Public Affairs of the GIS.

It would be recalled that Ms. Abbiusi claimed to be a student of the Ghana Christian University College, which turned out to be untrue.

She was initially hauled before a Kaneshie Magistrate Court for using a forged document in securing a permit to stay in Ghana by falsely claiming to be a student of the university.

Her lawyer, Francis Xavier Sosu had earlier stated that he was oblivious of the fact that the GIS was in the process of deporting his client.

He, however, indicated that her legal team would have a look at her documents and advise her to regularise her visa if need be.

But the lady was deported on Tuesday after the GIS revoked her permit to stay in Ghana and she was put on a flight that left the Kotoka International Airport same day.

She was escorted into a van which was waiting to take her to the Immigration Headquarters.

Her mother, who escorted her to the court, was seen weeping as she and the husband were denied entry into the van that carried their daughter away.

The Belgian, who was acting as the spokesperson for the new political group, was granted GH¢20,000 bail with two sureties by a Kaneshie District Court last week.

She was arrested by officers of the Ghana Immigration Service a fortnight ago for allegedly obtaining a student permit by false declaration in order to stay in Ghana.