FREETOWN – Minority Leader in Parliament, Hon. Abdul Kargbo, has raised serious legal and administrative concerns over a new directive issued by the Head of Immigration at Freetown International Airport in Lungi.
The directive, signed by Harry Cowan, compels international airlines to verify Resident and Work Permit cards of non-citizen passengers or face a US$3,000 fine.
Kargbo argued that the directive attempts to transfer immigration verification responsibilities from the State to private airline staff.
“Airlines are not immigration institutions,” he said. “Neither are their officers trained or legally empowered to authenticate Sierra Leone immigration documents.”
He also questioned the legality of the US$3,000 fine, noting that the document cites no law, regulation, or policy to justify the penalty.
“Administrative notices cannot simply create penalties without a clear legal basis,” Kargbo stated.
The Minority Leader further observed that an airport-based immigration head may lack the authority to issue binding directives to international airlines, adding that such a directive should emanate from the Chief Immigration Officer or a formally gazetted regulation.
He described the document as poorly drafted, operationally confusing, and lacking a verification mechanism such as a hotline or portal for airlines to confirm document authenticity.
“Poorly drafted directives that exceed legal authority only create confusion, expose the country to embarrassment, and undermine confidence in our institutions,” Kargbo concluded.
