Spokesperson of the political movement #TheNewForce, Shalimar Abbiusi, who was recently granted bail to the tune of GHC20,000 after being accused of obtaining a permit by false declaration, has been re-arrested.
She was picked up by personnel of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), per a viral video on social media sighted by The Independent Ghana.
There was a confrontation between the GIS officers and the legal counsel of Shalimar.
Ms. Shalimar Abbiusi, was picked up by the officers of the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) on Monday, December 4, 2023, for lack of evidence to prove her work permit and immigration documents as well as her affiliation with The New Force.
According to the New Force Movement, in a press statement dated December 7, the NIB has since last Monday been questioning Shalimar Abbiusi about the New Force and “wanting to know which people are behind it and if the people want to run for President.”
During this period, she is said to have been denied access to legal representation and has been held beyond the legal 48-hour limit without formal charges.
“Further, despite the objections of Ms Abbiusi’s lawyers, her apartment was broken into without a warrant and the place ransacked. Yet not a single element of incriminating evidence was found against her,” the statement added.
The New Force says it is “concerned” over the recent events since having a political organization is not a criminal offense.
“As such the arbitrary detention of Ms. Abbiusi raises serious concerns about the abuse of power, persecution of perceived political opponents and several human rights violations,” the movement added.
It has been revealed that despite the fact that Ms Abbiussi’s residence permit was facilitated and issued to her over three years ago by the Ghana Immigration Service, the authorities told a District Court that they have temporarily charged her with an offence claiming that one of the documents she submitted could not be verified.