According to the lawyers, the grounds for the imposition of the ban were unfounded.

[contextly_sidebar id=”QR4agKJvEPS4feHv7FS58MzZyotAypto”]The British High Commissioner, Jon Benjamin, in a letter leaked to the media earlier this week, announced that 4 legislators including the former MP have been banned for 10 years from entering the UK by capitalizing on their diplomatic passport privilege to undertake various illegal immigration actions including helping supposed relatives overstay their visas in that country.

But in a letter addressed to the British High Commissioner, Jon Benjamin, and the Commission, lawyers to George Boakye said he did not travel on his diplomatic passport as the High Commission alleged.

“In respect of the period in question, my client traveled to the UK with a normal Ghanaian passport with passport number H1050729, and not a diplomatic passport. My client was granted two years UK visa from 14/9/12 to 14/9/14 with visa number 011164422.”

The lawyers noted that, it was wrong for the High Commission to blame the MP for his daughter’s long stay, especially as she is an adult and both applied for their visas independently.

“The purpose of the visit to the UK by the client and his 37-year-old daughter was a private one. My client returned as scheduled. His daughter, who is an adult failed to return as scheduled. My client cannot in any way be blamed because his adult daughter overstayed her Entry Permit into the UK.”

The lawyers further suggested that, the Commission peddled falsehood in its letter to the Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Mike Oquaye on the matter, urging it to “in the interest of justice and fairness” to “put out the true story.”

“My client has not engaged in any form of visa fraud. All documents presented by the client were genuine, and he made the application directly to the UK Commission and not through any supposed third party. He has not abused the privileges and responsibility as a Diplomatic Passport Holder.”

The lawyer further threatened to drag the High Commission to court over the matter if it fails to publicly clear the former MP of any wrongdoing.

“We are expecting that based on the information we have provided, we expect your high office to reverse any travel ban imposed on my client and also come to the public domain to clear the issues. Youth failure to do so will compel my client to use all legal means to appeal against any decision to impose a travel ban on him to the UK and also clear his name”.

Meanwhile, the former MP, George Boakye, has told Citi News that his 37-year-old daughter tricked him into taking her to London under the pretext of going to see her uncle, but disappeared on their arrival in the UK.

According to him, although he knew he was being irresponsible by not reporting his daughter’s disappearance once he couldn’t find her, he feared a report to security officials would have had her incarcerated.

His daughter, in a separate interview with Citi News said that she should be blamed for her father’s woes.

According to her, she deliberately cut contact ties with her father after she told him she was leaving the house to visit an uncle in London, ahead of their scheduled departure date.

She appealed to Ghanaians to forgive her, although her story doesn’t seem to add up.

“I am pleading with my father and Ghanaians to forgive me. When I arrived, my father and I went to see the British High Commissioner and we pleaded with him too,” she said.

George Boakye’s offense

According to the British High Commission, “On 11/09/2012, the then Honourable and now former MP for Asunafo South George BOAKYE applied for visas for himself and his 37-year old daughter, Joyce BOAKYE to visit a friend in London for 17 days The visas were granted on 14/09/2012. On 17/01/2013 Joyce BOAKYE travelled to the UK with her Honourable father. Joyce BOAKYE did not leave the UK with her father, but remained until 06/01/2017.

In other words, she finally returned to Ghana just this month, having been in the UK illegally for over three years, and only then at our strong urging of Mr Boakye to bring her back. Mr Boakye is highly unlikely to be issued any further visas to visit the UK in the next ten years for his role in facilitating his daughter’s travel to the UK, including should he be re-elected to Parliament in a subsequent election.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Former MP to sue UK High Commission over Visa fraud claims appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Mr. Ablakwa in a statement on his Facebook page, said upon his perusal of the letter written by the British High Commissioner to the Speaker of Parliament outlining the allegations, he could not “help but notice a rather regrettable colonial mindset.”

In his view, the British High Commissioner, Jon Benjamin, overstepped his boundaries by “lecturing our Speaker, our President through his Secretary, our Chief of Staff and our Foreign Minister on how diplomatic passports ought to be used and retrieved.”

The allegations of visa fraud were revealed in the contents of the letter, indicating that three sitting MPs and one former MP, breached British visa regulations by facilitating the entry of some of their supposed relatives to the UK using their Diplomatic Passports.

The letter cited Richard Acheampong, MP for Bia East in the Western Region; Joseph Benhazin Dahah, MP for Asutifi North in the Brong Ahafo region; Johnson Kwaku Adu, MP for Ahafo Ano South West in the Ashanti Region and George Boakye, former MP for Asunafo South in the Brong Ahafo.

What the letter said

In the letter, British High Commission said it will henceforth only prioritize requests for visas from MPs if they are made through the parliamentary protocol office.

The Commission believes this will ensure there is an official and parliamentary reason for the proposed visit.

It also said MPs wishing to make private visits to the UK or to be accompanied on official visits by non-official relatives, must apply online and through the Visa Application Centre at the Movenpick Hotel like regular applicants.

To cap it off, the Commission said the alleged actions of the MPs contributed to raising the bar of suspicion against other MP applicants.

Disrespect to Parliament unacceptable

But in Mr. Ablakwa’s view, Jon Benjamin sees issuing visas to MPs as a favor and a reward for good behavior.

“Therefore, because three sitting MPs may have misconducted themselves, all 275 MPs must now face the Head Master’s (if not the colonial Governor’s) wrath and sanctions. Such utter disrespect for our Parliament and our country regardless is most unacceptable.”

He further chided Jon Benjamin for exaggerating the idea of former MPs possessing Diplomatic Passports because the passports expire after five years.

“The exaggeration was totally uncalled-for. He also knows that by practice, these diplomatic passports are withdrawn upon ceasing to hold public office even if the retrieval is fraught with some challenges as all human institutions encounter.”

Find below Mr. Ablakwa’s full statement

I have followed media discussions of British High Commissioner Jon Benjamin’s letter to the Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament with much interest as the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs.

In contrast to those who have questioned why the said confidential letter was leaked to the media, I take a different view. I am elated this letter is now available to the media and the general public for open and frank discussions in the true spirit of transparency and good governance.  This must be good for our country.

In any case, before this leak,  this was the most poorly kept secret by the British High Commission as many of us including  journalists have known about this for a considerable period of time perhaps even before the said 20th January, 2017 letter was written and dispatched to the Right Honourable Speaker.

The other poorly kept secret is the claim that there are some MPs holding dual citizenship in violation of Article 94 (2) (a) of the Constitution of Ghana. Again, I will contend that it’s better to see some swift concrete action on this particular issue instead of it being used by some people for smear and blackmail within diplomatic circles. This definitely raises larger issues of how Parliamentary Candidates are vetted within our political parties and the collaborative role of the Electoral Commission, National Security and Diplomatic Missions; a discussion we will have to return to at a later date.

It must be understood very clearly, that if confirmed, what the three sitting Members of Parliament (MP) and a former MP are alleged to have done cannot be endorsed and must deserve strong condemnation and possible sanctions if need be. It is therefore commendable that Mr. Speaker has taken a serious view of this matter and has instituted the needed investigations. This is what is expected of working democracies just as the US Congress is currently doing in the case of General Michael Flynn.

Reading through Jon Benjamin’s letter however, one cannot help but notice a rather regrettable colonial mindset. He writes:

“Given what has transpired, the British High Commission would request the Ghanaian Parliament to be aware of the following:

1. a) we will henceforth only entertain and prioritise requests for visas from MPs, if they are made through the parliamentary protocol office who should verify that there is an official, parliamentary reason for the proposed visit;
2. b) however, MPs wishing to make private visits to the UK or to be accompanied on official visits by non-official relatives must apply online and through our Visa Application Centre at the Movenpick Hotel like any other applicant;
3. c) could you kindly confirm whether and why it is legitimate for ex-MPs to continue to possess and use diplomatic passports, in some cases for many years after they have ceased to be parliamentarians? In that regard, we would humbly like to ask, Mr Speaker, what procedures are in place to ensure that diplomatic passports are removed forthwith from all those 133 former Members who have just ceased to be MPs?
4. d) the net effect of such visa fraud by a very few Honourable MPs as outlined in this letter is to raise the bar of suspicion against all such applicants, which is of course regrettable to the huge disadvantage of those very many MPs who do act honourably at all times.”

Quite clearly, to Mr. Jon Benjamin, issuing visas to Ghanaian MPs is such a great favour and a reward for good group behaviour. Therefore, because three sitting MPs may have misconducted themselves, all 275 MPs must now face the Head Master’s (if not the colonial Governor’s) wrath and sanctions. Such utter disrespect for our Parliament and our country regardless is most unacceptable.

If this is Mr. Benjamin’s mindset even in dealing with the people’s representatives, then one can begin to wonder how he treats the applications of the people of Ghana.

Never mind that visa application processes are not free and that the high fees most Ghanaians complain about are not refundable to applicants. Never mind that Ghanaians including thousands of fee paying students who travel to Britain do so with our own money which must be of some use to the British economy, Never mind that the UK Parliamentary Expenses Scandal of 2009 involved more than 300 MPs,  (NOT 3 as in Ghana’s case), with at least 6 of these UK MPs going to jail and yet no bar of suspicion has been raised by any Ghanaian “Head Master” in extending diplomatic courtesies to UK MPs but I guess that is the world we live in.

Mr. Jon Benjamin amazingly had no diplomatic difficulties whatsoever in over stepping boundaries and lecturing our Speaker, our President through his Secretary, our Chief of Staff and our Foreign Minister on how diplomatic passports ought to be used and retrieved. Absolutely unbelievable! And by the way, Mr. Benjamin cannot be right when he asserts that MPs continue to use diplomatic passports “MANY YEARS” after they cease to be MPs when he knows that these diplomatic passports are valid for only five years while admittedly an MPs term is four years. The exaggeration was totally uncalled-for. He also knows that by practice these diplomatic passports are withdrawn upon ceasing to hold public office even if the retrieval is fraught with some challenges as all human institutions encounter.

Even though many of us have had concern about the modus operandi and non-diplomatic tendencies of the top-most  British diplomat in Accra, I will not advocate hostility or reciprocal action on British MPs who will require visa services to visit Ghana as some have suggested because it is entirely possible that Mr. Benjamin’s conduct and social media pontifications may not represent official British Government position. Fortunately, we have some good recent experience as a country in containing interesting High Commissioners since the days of Craig John Murray and more significantly, we should never forget that their postings to Ghana are not the least permanent.

What is permanent and which we must all continue to cherish is the unique bond of history and friendship that exists between our two countries which must constantly remind us that in the final analysis only mutual respect and equal rights triumph.

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (MP)

Ranking Member, Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post MP visa fraud: Ablakwa slams Jon Benjamin’s ‘colonial mentality’ appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to him, although he knew he was being irresponsible by not reporting his daughter’s disappearance once he couldn’t find her, he feared a report to security officials would have her incarcerated.

[contextly_sidebar id=”rEjQtsfCOab2tLSIoY9jIoz1wepwKcf6″]The former MP is among 4 current legislators who have been banned from entering the UK over allegations of visa fraud.

The British High Commissioner, Jon Benjamin in a letter to the Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye said the offence of the former MP was that, “On 11/09/2012, the then Honourable and now former MP for Asunafo South George BOAKYE applied for visas for himself and his 37-year old daughter, Joyce BOAKYE to visit a friend in London for 17 days The visas were granted on 14/09/2012. On 17/01/2013 Joyce BOAKYE travelled to the UK with her Honourable father. Joyce BOAKYE did not leave the UK with her father, but remained until 06/01/2017. In other words, she finally returned to Ghana just this month, having been in the UK illegally for over three years, and only then at our strong urging of Mr Boakye to bring her back. Mr Boakye is highly unlikely to be issued any further visas to visit the UK in the next ten years for his role in facilitating his daughter’s travel to the UK, including should he be re-elected to Parliament in a subsequent election.

But according to Mr. Boakye, the development was not his fault. In a rather interesting Citi News interview, the former MP said he lost contact with his daughter after she left that house where she had gone to visit an Uncle that he the MP couldn’t even identify.

“She managed to trick me into believing that she wanted to go and visit her uncle. Not knowing, she had a prior arrangement with her boyfriend with the promise that the boyfriend would be able to regularize her stay for her. At the time that I was coming and she hadn’t come, I left a message and a return ticket with the hope that it should be given to my daughter anytime she returns, and I left. To be very honest, I lost contact with her because she knew me to be a very strict person and for that matter if I got the information that she was there with a man, she wouldn’t find it lightly.”

He told Citi News’ Umaru Sanda Amadu that, he went to London to visit a friend, but went with her daughter because she said she wanted to “look at London.”

“I was going to [London]  to visit a friend and she said she wanted she wanted to go with me, to have a look at London. She was 37 at the time we got the visa, but now she is 41.”

He added that, “the mistake I made was that, I should have collected the contact number and house address [of the uncle] and I forgot to do that, that is why she was able to get her way out. I knew she would come because I left the return ticket with my host. So about a week later when I realized wasn’t coming, I became apprehensive and told my host to look around and find out if she [the host] would be able to trace her. We tried our best but we couldn’t trace her.”

Mr. George Boakye further said that he was contacted by the Embassy in December 2016 over the stay of his daughter in that country, but he pleaded that they allowed him attend to election-related issues.

He noted that he finally made contact with his daughter after the election, and instructed her to return to Ghana over the potential harm her illegal stay in the UK could do to his reputation.

“After the elections, I intensified my search and I was able to get to one of her friends and I managed to get her address from her friend.  I called her and she responded, so on the phone I even cursed her, and told her that if she did not come to Ghana, it will not auger well for her because it will dent my image in the country so she should come,” he said.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @jnyabor

The post UK Visa Fraud: My daughter tricked me and overstayed – Former MP appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.