Interior Minister, Immigration boss pressured to step aside over Indian’s petition to Akufo-Addo

Minister of Interior, Ambrose Derry

A Senior Lecturer at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) is asking the Comptroller General of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) and the Minister of Interior to step aside for investigations into allegations of harassment levelled against them by Indian businessman Ashok Kumar Sivaram.

The Indian on Monday petitioned President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to intervene in “a deliberate ploy” to revoke his stay in Ghana and get him deported.

Last month, an Accra High Court dismissed an application by the Ministry of Interior and the Service to have the Indian businessman deported, a judgement Mr Sivaram says is being flouted by the actions of the heads of the two bodies.

“This action by the respondents is also a clear attempt to undermine the order for valuation of the company the by high court dated 5th May, 2017,” he stated in his August 15, 2017 petition to President Akufo-Addo.

“Mr. President, I implore you as the father of the nation to graciously step in to resolve the matters raised in my petition. I shall forever be grateful to you for your prompt action on this matter.”

Minister of Interior Ambrose Dery is cited in the petition Speaking on the issue on TV3’s New Day on Saturday, Dr Ahmed Jinapor said the president must take steps to look into the issue as “this issue smacks of corruption”.

The Head of the Early Childhood Education Department of UEW said Kwame Sekyi, who heads the Ghana Immigration Service, “must step aside for investigations to continue”.

Mr Sivaram runs Jai’ mai Communications Limited and he claims the recent actions by Interior Minister Ambrose Dery and Comptroller General Sekyi are a calculated attempt to take over his company.

The two had earlier approved of Mr Sivaram’s deportation with the pretext that he obtained a fake marriage certificate to be eligible to stay in Ghana. But the Court in its judgement said that charge was unsubstantiated.

Dr Jinapor said the Interior Minister “has to apologise to the gentleman or step aside as a minister”.