Former MP to sue UK High Commission over Visa fraud claims

Lawyers for embattled former MP for Asunafo South constituency, George Boakye have asked the British High Commission to reverse its travel ban imposed on the former legislator.

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

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