Interior Minister urges Immigration Service to be proactive in deporting foreign offenders

The Member of Parliament for Asawase and Minister for the Interior, Hon. Muntaka Mubarak, has urged the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) to adopt a more proactive and swift approach in handling the deportation of foreign nationals involved in illegal activities in the country.

Speaking during visit to the GIS office in Kumasi, the Minister explained government’s position on dealing with non-Ghanaians who engage in illegal mining (galamsey), deforestation, internet fraud (popularly known as “sakawa”), and other fraudulent activities.

According to him, government has resolved not to waste time and resources prosecuting foreigners arrested for criminal activities in Ghana. Instead, they will be deported.

“If you are in our forest doing either galamsey or cutting down trees or you are doing what are popularly called sakawa or defrauding, for these two, we are not interested in prosecuting you.

“Our first option is to return you back into your country and put you on the stop list, and you are going to be playing a very, very vital role.” He said.

He urged the Ghana Immigration Service  to adopt a more proactive and swift approach in handling the deportation of foreign nationals to actively seek out suspects once arrests are made by security agencies.

“I know the police are first to do the arrest or the military or the national security, and the instruction is that when they do, they should hand them over to you.

“Because of  your swiftness and intelligence, we want you to also be proactive, so when they do the arrest, also be proactive to go and demand them so that you can be faster instead of you waiting for them to come and hand them over to you before you forward them to Accra.” He stated

Hon. Mubarak also made it clear that the cost of repatriation will not be borne by the government, but rather by the embassies of the respective foreign nationals.

“We will not pay for repatriation, I’ve told all the  embassies ,that they are responsible for covering the costs of sending their citizens back home.” He said

Source: Elvisanokyenews.net