Shalimar Abbiusi: GIS details reasons for her repatriation

The Ghana Immigration Service has explained why it repatriated Belgian national Shalimar Abbiusi, spokesperson for the New Force.

According to the GIS, Shalimar Abbiusi was arrested and repatriated because she obtained a student permit fraudulently. The GIS said her recent activities on social media and her association with The New Force political group are what brought their attention to her. That then prompted an investigation into her immigration status. The investigation according to the GIS “established that she was on a student permit tenable with a private university”.

Miss Shalimar Abbiusi was arrested earlier this month and held in lawful custody until the Kaneshie District Court on December 11 granted her a GH¢20,000 bail. Her parents were in court to support her that day while numerous people believed to be sympathizers of The New Force thronged the court premises with placards expressing support and demanding her release.

Press Release on the Arrest and Subsequent Repatriation of Shalimar Abbiusi for Obtaining a Student Permit by False Declaration.

Management of the Ghana Immigration Service wishes to inform the public about the arrest and subsequent repatriation of Ms. Shalimar Abbuisi a 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.

Her activities drew interest and her immigration status was investigated. It was established that she was on a student permit tenable with a private university.

Futher inquiries from the school indicated that she was not a student of the school. The University wrote to the GIS to confirm that fact. 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 7th December, 2023.

At the subsequent court date she was granted bail to enable prosecution to proceed.

The charges against her were withdrawn and she was discharged by the court on 19th December, 2023.

She was however re-arrested by the GIS because her residence permit had been revoked by the Comptroller-General pursuant to Section 20 (2)(a) of Immigration Act, 2000, Act 573 as she had obtained the students’ permit by fraudulent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

Consequently, she was repatriated on the 19th of December, 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.