Dozens of supporters of the ‘New Force movement’ have gathered outside the Kaneshie District Court to show support for their spokesperson, Shalimar Abbiusi.
Abbusi, a Belgian national, has been arraigned at Kaneshie district court to face charges of allegedly obtaining a student permit in Ghana through false declarations.
The New Force has described her arrest as politically motivated.
Supporters, donning the movement’s colours, held placards and chanted slogans in support of Abbiusi and the New Force’s agenda. They decried her arrest as an attempt to silence the movement and stifle dissent.
She was remanded into lawful custody on Friday, December 8 by the same court. She was first arraigned by the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS).
The court gave the prosecution a few days to conclude investigations and remanded the accused person into lawful custody to reappear on Monday, December 11, 2023.
Mr Jamal Tonzua, who represented the accused person, told the court that GIS just wanted to abuse the rights of his client and that under Ghana’s Constitution, she was entitled to a fair trial, saying the GIS should have concluded their investigations before coming to court.
The defence counsel prayed for bail because his client was not a flight risk.
According to counsel, the accused person’s passport was with GIS and that the Service should be able to detect her movements.
The counsel said the accused person had men of substance to stand as sureties.