General News of Tuesday, 25 September 2001

Source: GNA

Scramble For American Visa Lottery Bulletins

Scores of Ghanaian US visa lottery winners who are yet to be interviewed fear they may lose the chance of travelling to the US after the deadline on September 28.

The winners who trooped to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Tuesday said since winning the lottery last year the US Embassy had failed to interview them without any explanation except telling them "to go and come".

A petition to the Ambassador, signed by one of the winners, Mr Franklin Mainoo on behalf of his colleagues, said they have spent millions of cedis to go through medical tests and to get their travel documents and yet the embassy has failed to conduct the interviews or give reasons for the delay.

It said, "due to the limited time, that is September 28, we hereby plead with the Ambassador and those responsible to explain to us what the situation is".

The American Embassy however said yesterday on a radio talk programme that no fresh invitation would be sent to anyone, who has not yet been interviewed.