Shalimar has arrived home, we hope Belgium doesn’t retaliate – The New Force

The New Force Movement has expressed its dissatisfaction with the repatriation of its spokesperson Shalimar Abbiussi, to her home country Belgium.

Citing abuse of her rights, the Movement said they acknowledge the strain on her family and sympathize with their aggrieved feelings over reported alleged gross misconduct and malpractice by officials.

The Ghana Immigration Service revoked her residence permit and initiated processes to have her repatriated.

She was charged with attaining a Ghanaian student permit using false declaration by Prosecutors, but she pleaded not guilty.

In court on Tuesday, December 19, the state dropped the charges against her after Assistant Commissioner, Adolf Aboagye Asensu told the court he had been instructed to withdraw the charges.

Shallie has since returned to the Kingdom of Belgium, the movement announced in a statement.

“We thought that our message was more important than the messenger. Had you not noticed, we wore a mask? The New Force is a grassroots movement that stands for the renewal and rejuvenation for the people of Ghana. A young woman named Shalimar Abbiusi (Shallie), distinguished for her role as a TV presenter and for her compassion to the plight of Ghanaians, saw this movement and volunteered herself as our lead spokesperson.

“She was not born in Ghana; she chose to come here. She understood the preoccupation that her race might have, as one of our spokespeople. Accepting the possibility of public rejection, she was welcomed with open arms, into our community.Where we saw genuine, heartfelt support for our people, others saw subterfuge.

“Consequently, The New Force, express our profound regret for the reported instances of; abuse faced by Shallie, unwarranted detention for up to seven (7) days, the unwarranted search, and ransacking of her home. The movement acknowledges the strain on her family and sympathizes with their aggrieved feelings over reported gross misconduct and malpractice by trusted officials. Shallie has since returned to the Kingdom of Belgium.

“The New Force stands for the empowerment of people. Therefore, it deeply saddens us, hearing the unsettling circumstances and experiences she had. Shallie’s impeccable conduct is a reminder to the international community about the importance of fully embracing human rights laws, democracy, justice, the presumption of innocence and the burden of proof even in difficult circumstances. An honourable life is not lived without friction.

“We apologise for the disregard of international human rights laws in our Republic of Ghana. In a gesture of accountability, we extend apologies to the Kingdom of Belgium, the EU committee and the international community at large. We hope that you do not retaliate in kind. We hope that Ghana reconsiders their reported misuse of power for political interests and realigns herself with a robust legal framework that preserves our global standing as a country of justice and peace. To us, the integrity of our country and its international reputation is more important than partisan political interest,”a statement issued said.