General News of Wednesday, 26 April 2017

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Visa fraud: MPs confront Jon Benjamin over allegations - Kate Addo

Acting Director of Public Affairs at Ghana's Parliament, Kate Addo play videoActing Director of Public Affairs at Ghana's Parliament, Kate Addo

Some persons out of the four Members of Parliament accused of engaging in visa offences have confronted the former British High Commissioner for the United Kingdom, Jon Benjamin to register their displeasure at the turn of events.

Acting Director of Public Affairs at Ghana's Parliament Kate Addo revealed this while addressing pressmen at her office in Parliament Wednesday, April 26, 2017.

According to her, some of the accused members; Richard Acheampong, MP for Bia East, Joseph Benhazin Dahah, MP for Asutifi, Johnson Kwaku Adu, MP for Ahafo Ano South, and George Boakye, former MP for Asunafo South said to have violated the UK visa regulations on different occasions met with the outgoing UK High Commissioner to indicate that the facts of the matter as being presented are not accurate and or are being misrepresented.

“I have word that some of the members mentioned have actually confronted the outgone British High Commissioner to register their displeasure and to state that the facts were not as they have been presented….that some of the facts are not what they are or what actually transpired.

The Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Oquaye is yet to officially speak on the case of alleged violations of the UK visa regulations on different occasions by some three sitting members of Parliament and a former Member of Parliament.

The four persons are said to have committed offences by either providing false information for their visa applications or facilitating the visas of some relatives who overstayed their visas in the UK.


A confidential letter written to the Speaker of Parliament by the UK government through the UK High Commissioner to Ghana, Jon Benjamin indicated that administrative measures have been taken to ensure that the Honourable members aforementioned are most likely not granted visas for the UK within the next 10 years.