Complaint of corruption at ACCRA Airport

...., my family has been victimized

TO DR WIREDU PETER,

The Director of Ghana Immigration in Accra.

Independence Avenue, ACRRA, GHANA

My Name is Justino K. AGBONON

I'm writing to complain about a situation that troubled and sickened me

last night as a human. My family has been a victim of a gross extorsion on

the part of your immigration officials at the Kotoka Intl airport in

Accra.Here's what took place at the airport last night.

My wife was booked on AliTALIA flight 845 originating from Accra last

night (monday the 16 of April) at 10:50pm heading to the US. She was

traveling from Accra where she has been living for the last 9 years as a

refugee. She got her US visa from the US Embassy in Accra, Ghana and is

holding a passport from Togo. As a citizen of an Ecowas member country, she

doesn't need a visa in her passport to be able to come to GHANA. At the

airport yesterday the immigration officers checking her passport asked for

one million and a half because she did not have a stamp in her passport.

She has been living in Accra as a refugee since 2006 and never traveled

outside the country. She holds a refugee travel document which has been

issued to her in Accra by the ministry of foreign affair. This travel

document was not accepted at the US embassy for a US visa, where they

requested a national passport. Then she did acquired the national passport

which has been issued and sent to her in Accra via a family

menber.Therefore she has no way of stamping her passport at any border

before he US visa has been issued in the passport. Then at the airport in

Accra last night, the immigration services requested and charged her a

million and half cidis for not having a stamp which is totally ludicrous

and unacceptable to me. She was carrying our three years old son Prince

Kofi who was born in Accra in 2008 and holds a US passport which has been

issued at the US Embassy in Accra, Ghana.Despite her pleas, the immigration

officers wouldn't let her go. While she was pleading with the immigration

officials, telling them she has no money, They verbally abused her by

telling her that if she didn't pay the money she will miss her flight. One

even pushed her aside and said you need to pay the money or you're not

going anywhere. This made her decided to go out and look for money. While

this ordeal was unfolding she has nobody around her to turn to. She has

been compelled to go outside and told the story to my nephew Romeo

tel:(233) 0241612189 who took her to airport for the trip. Romeo has to

turn to his mother and borrowed a million cidis from her and gave it to my

wife and told her to get a receipt from whomever took the money from her.

Our son who wasn't feeling well a the time this was going on and needs some

attention from her,She was so stressed out and could do anything to him at

that point. Due to this event he's suffered a fever attack and is now sick.

Your agents at the airport last night should be held responsible for this.

When my wife came back with the million cidis, she handed it to whoever

asked for the money. When she requested a receipt he told her,I asked for

one million and a half, you gave me a million and you want a receipt? "Get

out of here" he said to her.

This event has infuriated me to the point I cannot tolerate my family being

humiliated to that point. I decided to bring this to your attention and I'm

bringing a lawsuit against Ghana immigration services as a US citizen for

physical and verbal abuse of my wife ans son, a violation of their rights,

aggravation of stress and emotional distress.My attorney has been contacted

and is now working on the case. First of all, and before anything, I need

this one million cidis be reimbursed to the owner from whom my wife

borrowed it. Romeo was the key witness to this situation and borrowed the

money and gave it to my wife. For more detail about this issue please

contact him at: 0241 612 189. Romeo's brother Messan was also there too, He

can be reached at 0277833864.

Let me remind you that the Ghana immigration services at the airport has

done the same thing to me a couple years ago when I visited my family in

Ghana. I was holding a US passport with a five years multiple entry visa

issued here at in the US. I stayed for 63 days. When I was leaving I was

held at the immigration services where some agents were trying to tell me

that I overstayed my visa and I should pay two hundred dollars before they

let me go.They think they're dealing with a baffoon or a moron like them. I

quitely and politely reprimanded them and proved to them that I know my

rights more than what they do. I rejected their demand and left. I even

dared anyone who would follow me and focred me to pay at the time but no

one did.

How many people are being victimized everyday by these corrupted

pratcices in that airport on the part of the Ghana immigration.This is

tarnishing the image and the reputatuon of Ghana. And the good

anti-corruption plocies this goverment has put in place are being destroyed

these corrupt agents at the airport. You need as director to put some order

in that house and the corrupted agents need to be cleaned out.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

With respect,

Justino AGBONON

36 Mansfield Street # 12

Somerville, MA 02143

United States,

Tel: 6176282040