Foreign Affairs Ministry works on Latvia visas for Ahyia family
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that it is in touch with relevant authorities to secure visas for the family of Nana Agyei Ahyia, a Ghanaian student who lost his life in Latvia under unusual circumstances.
It stated the measure was intended to enable designated family members to join a government delegation in Latvia.
The ministry, in a statement issued yesterday, also refuted claims that officials had requested money from the deceased's family before facilitating travel for family members.
A viral video had shown a woman, supposedly a relative of the deceased, claiming that state officials had demanded money from the family as a precondition to facilitate their travel to Latvia.
“The ministry wishes to categorically reject and correct the false, misleading and unfounded assertions contained in the said video, in which a woman purporting to be a sister of the deceased alleges, among other things, that the deceased’s mother was required to make payments to facilitate her travel, that government officials travelled to Latvia without any family member and that a fake airline ticket was issued to the deceased’s mother,” it said.
Visa challenges
The ministry stated that it actively facilitated the visa application process for nominated family members, who were initially scheduled to travel by January 31 this year, but that the travel could not materialise due to delays in visa issuance by the relevant authorities.
It explained that the family members' inability to join the government delegation was due to their failure to submit all required documentation at the time of their visa appointments.
“It must be clearly stated that at the time of their visa appointments, the family members failed to present all the requisite documentation. Upon receipt of the outstanding documents, the ministry promptly facilitated their submission to the concerned embassy,” it said.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry reiterated that it remained in constant and transparent engagement with the family of the deceased to facilitate their travel together with a pathologist at the expense of the government and not the family of the deceased.
“At no time has the ministry or any government official acting on its behalf demanded or received any form of payment from the family. For the avoidance of doubt, the Government of Ghana is fully bearing the cost of all travel arrangements,” it added.
The ministry said it formally notified the mother of the deceased on Friday evening and again on Saturday that their travel could not proceed as scheduled because the visas had not yet been issued and their passports remained in the custody of the embassy.
“Notwithstanding these clear communications, the mother of the deceased subsequently indicated on Saturday evening that she was at the airport in the company of bloggers and intended to approach the airline counter for what she described as evidentiary purposes.
“She was expressly informed by the ministry’s official in contact with her that the document in her possession was not a confirmed airline ticket, but merely an itinerary generated exclusively to support the visa application process and that travel was not possible in the absence of her passport,” it said.
Distortion of facts
The ministry described the distortion of facts and the attempt to undermine confidence in state institutions as regrettable.
“It must be firmly stated that the deliberate distortion of facts and the circulation of misinformation on a matter of this gravity are deeply regrettable and will not be countenanced, as such actions mislead the public, undermine confidence in state institutions and detract from the collective effort to establish the truth surrounding the tragic death of a Ghanaian citizen,” it said.
The ministry affirmed its unwavering commitment to the protection and welfare of Ghanaians abroad and to the pursuit of justice for the late Nana Agyei Ahyia, who died while studying at the Riga Technical University in Latvia.
