Ghana detains Belgian woman wanted by Guinea through Interpol Red Notice

Ghanaian authorities have arrested a Belgian woman who is the subject of an Interpol Red Notice issued by Guinea, her lawyers said, claiming the case is politically motivated and warning that she could face persecution if returned to Conakry.

The woman, identified by her legal team as Ms. Bangoura, was detained at about 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday after arriving in Ghana on a flight from Paris, according to a statement by the law firm Merton & Everett LLP.

The firm’s managing partner, lawyer Oliver Barker-Vormawor, said the practice had been retained to represent Bangoura following her arrest.

Identity

According to the lawyers, Bangoura is the former partner of Guinea’s Minister of State and Secretary-General of the Presidency, Brigadier-General Amara Camara, with whom she has two children.

The statement alleged that the relationship ended acrimoniously after Bangoura threatened to disclose information about the senior Guinean official, prompting her to leave Guinea with her siblings out of fear for her safety.

The lawyers claimed that Guinea subsequently secured an Interpol Red Notice to facilitate her arrest and return.

“Unknown to her, she was placed on an Interpol Red Notice by Guinea, in order to force her back to Guinea,” the statement said.

Asylum process

According to the firm, Bangoura informed Ghanaian authorities after her arrest that she feared for her life if returned to Guinea and intends to seek political asylum in Ghana.

“We trust that due process will be followed in this matter; this time around. A life is at stake,” the lawyers said.

There is no immediate comment from Ghanaian authorities on the arrest or on the reported asylum application.

Guinea’s government has also not publicly commented on the allegations made by Bangoura’s legal team.

An Interpol Red Notice is a request to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition or other legal proceedings. It is not an international arrest warrant, and each member country decides whether to act on it under its domestic laws.

Bangoura remains in custody pending further legal proceedings, according to her lawyers.

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