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Introduction
Social media is abuzz following the reappearance of Shalimar Abbiusi, the Belgian media personality who rose to prominence in Ghana as the spokesperson for the political movement, The New Force. Footage of her recent public appearances has gone viral, with news outlets publishing videos of her at the funeral of the Mamponghene on June 7, 2025. She was spotted at the Mining in Motion event held in Accra on June 2, just days earlier. Her presence in Ghana has reignited public debate, raising questions: How did she return after being deported by the Ghanaian government in 2023?
Source: X. Image of comments from X users questioning why Shalimar Abbiusi is in Ghana despite her being deported in 2023.
This explainer retraces the events that led to her deportation and unpacks the legal circumstances that paved the way for her return.
Chronology of events
Shalimar Abbiusi, responsible for the New Force’s diaspora and diplomatic engagements, was first invited by the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) for questioning on Monday, December 4, 2023. This followed her public appearance in a video announcing the New Force’s upcoming plans for the next election.
Subsequently, she was arrested by the Head of the National Enforcement Section of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) over concerns about her immigration status. The GIS charged Abbiusi with falsely declaring herself a student of Ghana Christian University College in the Greater Accra Region, allegedly to unlawfully obtain a student permit on or before September 23, 2023.
On Friday, December 8, 2023, Abbiusi was arraigned by the GIS and remanded into lawful custody by the Kaneshie District Court. The court granted the prosecution additional time to complete its investigation and ordered her to reappear on Monday, December 11, 2023.
On that date, December 11, she was granted bail in the sum of GH¢20,000 with two sureties after pleading not guilty to the charge of obtaining a student permit by false declaration.
The case was expected to proceed to full trial the following day. However, prosecutors from the GIS, led by ACI Adolf Aboagye Asenso, informed the court that they had received instructions to withdraw the case. The court accordingly discharged Abbiusi, and the case was struck out as withdrawn.
Despite the discharge, she was rearrested immediately afterwards on the premises of the Kaneshie District Court and taken away in a Ghana Immigration Service-branded vehicle, according to a Joy News report dated December 19, 2023.
She was subsequently deported from Ghana on December 19, 2023. The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) released a statement, which can be found here.
What’s next after deportation
Shalimar Abbiusi announced her intention to sue the State of Ghana at the international ECOWAS Court of Justice for human rights violations and injustice on her X account.
Following this, she officially challenged her re-arrest and deportation at the ECOWAS Court, accusing Ghana of violating her fundamental human rights, particularly her right to liberty.
In response, the ECOWAS Court ruled in her favour, determining that Ghana had violated her rights. The court found that her initial arrest, subsequent rearrest, and illegal deportation by the Ghana Immigration Service contravened Article 6 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which guarantees the liberty and security of individuals even though the State Prosecutor had already dropped all charges against her.
As a result, the court ordered the Government of Ghana to compensate Shalimar Abbiusi for the violation of her rights, in the amount of $10,000 USD.
Her return
This development, however, provides clear context for her return to Ghana following her legal victory at the ECOWAS Court. In fact, during an interview on Joy News aired on November 26, 2024, Shalimar Abbiusi explicitly announced her intention to return. From the 13-minute mark onward, she affirmed that the court’s decision had paved the way for her comeback. On the back of this, she represented the African Union’s Economic, Social and Cultural Council on June 2 at the Mining in Motion event in Ghana.
Conclusion
Shalimar Abbiusi’s return to Ghana is not just a personal comeback but a legal and symbolic reckoning. Backed by a landmark ruling from the ECOWAS Court, her presence now carries the weight of vindication.
