Accra (Greater Accra) 4th June '99

Mr Francis Emile Short, Commissioner for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHARJ), on a surprise visit to Osu Police Station on Thursday, expressed concern about misuse of Ghanaian passports by non-Ghanaians.

He said passport racketeering is on the increase with many foreigners using fake Ghanaian passports. Most of these people are therefore deported to Ghana instead of their home countries.

Eight Nigerians are being held by the Osu Police for possessing fake Ghanaian passports.

The visit formed part of CHRAJ's annual nation-wide tour of police stations and prisons to ascertain conditions there.

The Nigerians - six women and two men aged between 18 and 31 years - were deported from Paris and Milan with Ghanaian passports. Four other Nigerian women who were also at the police station were arrested for prostitution.

Also in the cells are two Lebanese who claimed their passports were stolen at Milan Airport and a Jamaican-American who said he was arrested for employing illegal immigrants in Germany.

In a chat with the suspects, the Commissioner was told that the suspects have been in the cells for between two weeks and 18 months.

He was also informed about the poor quality of food, and congestion in the cells.

A cell built for a maximum of four people had 10 inmates.

Dr Ken Agyeman Attafuah, Chief Investigator and Director of Operations of CHRAJ, said the inspection was not a witch-hunt but it was meant to create a condition for co-operation between the Police, CHRAJ and the media to see how best conditions in the cells and prisons can be improved.

On the long delays in processing documents for the suspects to appear before court, he said CHRAJ will contact Immigration Service Department to either put the suspects before the courts or send them back to their home countries.