The United States (US) has extradited nine Ghanaians involved in cybercrime and other related offences from the country this year, the US Embassy has said.
Speaking during a roundtable discussion held in Accra, the Charge d’Affaires at the US Embassy, Rolf Olson, who was joined by the Deputy Assistant Secretary for West Africa in the US Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs, William B. Stevens, said the extradited individuals were accused of involvement in cybercrime, including impersonating individuals online and defrauding them of millions of dollars.
Mr Olson, however, indicated that the extradition of the accused did not automatically imply that they were going to jail; adding that they would be given fair trial under US law until they were proven guilty.
“We go through a formal legal process to make a request that someone often be arrested first because they may not necessarily be in prison, and then are legally sent to the United States to stand trial. Everyone gets a fair trial. They’re not guilty. They will be firmly innocent until proven guilty,” he stated.
The Charge d’Affaires also emphasised that the accused also stood the chance of serving jail term based on the kind of crime committed, if proven guilty by the US court during trials.
“These are the kinds of people who, obviously, if proven guilty in court, they should be in prison. They shouldn’t be out being able to take advantage of particularly older people, although any of us, I think, obviously, would be horrified at the idea of being a victim of this kind of crime,” he stated.
Cooperation
The Charge d’Affaires praised the Ghanaian government for its cooperation, particularly President John Dramani Mahama’s administration, for showing commitment in the fight against cybercrime.
Mr Olson described the extradition of the nine individuals as an “extraordinary achievement”, and thanked the Ghanaian government for its strong collaboration on law enforcement and the rule of law.
“Extradition of nine individuals from Ghana in one year is an extraordinary achievement, and the cooperation with the government, obviously with the President, the Attorney General, Interior Minister, has been extraordinary. It’s been a really strong collaboration,” the Charge d’Affaires said.
Mr Olson stated that the US was committed to working with Ghana to combat cybercrime and protect citizens from financial crimes.
The Charge d’Affaires emphasised that the US was also open to receiving extradition requests from any government; adding that the US government had various mechanism through which these requests would go through and ensure that the legal requests for such extradition were met.
“We are always open to receiving extradition requests. That is absolutely a firm part of any good bilateral relationship, and certainly ours. The process of evaluating an extradition request, on the American side, is very well established.
“It is not generally very quick.
So, when we receive a request, it goes through the various mechanisms that we have to undertake. But the door is always open for those requests.
“There’s no individual case that can be prejudged because US judges make decisions on this. And they are, of course, a separate branch of government.
So, they have the ability to approve or disapprove a request. But we’re always open to that kind of collaboration,” he stated
Deportation
Mr Olson said President Donald Trump had made it clear that addressing illegal immigration was a priority for the US government, hence, their action on the deportation of some nationals illegally based in the US.
He said the US was committed to protecting its borders and enforcing its laws, while also respecting the rights of individuals.
The Charge d’Affaires indicated that the US had agreements with countries around the world, including safe third-country agreement, where individuals could seek refugee status in another country, if they were unable to stay in the US.
He lauded the Ghanaian government’s cooperation on the return of Ghanaian nationals and other West Africans who had exhausted their legal options.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh
