Accra: Ghana’s Supreme Court has set aside an order by an Accra High Court for the restoration of the residence and work permit of Indian businessman Ashok Kumar Sivaram, accused of using a fake marriage certificate to support his application for permanent residence permit in the country.
According to the five-member panel of the Supreme Court, the High Court had no legal standing to issue the order because Sivaram had failed to exhaust all administrative processes before going to court. The top court also said that the High Court exceeded its jurisdiction in passing the order.
Sivaram was whisked out of the country on Sunday, the state-owned Daily Graphic reported.
The Indian businessman was accused by the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) of using a fake marriage certificate to support his application for a permanent residence permit and this led to his repatriation in June last year following an order issued by the Interior Minister in May 2017.
Later, the High Court decision had allowed Sivaram to return to Ghana.
The Supreme Court said the Indian businessman should have petitioned the Minister of the Interior within seven days after his residence and work permits were revoked by the GIS, as stipulated by Section 46 of the Immigration Act (200), (Act 573), before heading to court.
The Daily Graphic report said enraged workers of Sivaram’s company Jai Mai Communications which specialises in the maintenance and installation of fibre optic cables staged a demonstration on the company’s premises demanding his return to guarantee their jobs.
IANS