Tonight, the Sierra Leonean man who has been stuck in Belize since early July is finally headed back home. 7News has confirmed that James Efrimea boarded a COPA flight this evening at 5:00 pm and started to make his way back to his home country of Sierra Leone.
Efrimea landed in Belize illegally, and made an attempt to leave the country on July 10th through the PGIA en route to Cuba. He alleged that a female immigration officer extorted him for $1,000 dollars in exchange for assistance to leave Belize. Kojo also claims that the officer held his passport.
After that he was held at the Hattieville Prison - unable to return to Sierra Leone because he is became a witness against that immigration officer after making a complaint.
His attorney OJ Ellington today told us, quote, "The government has been holding that man illegally for months. Their family has paid for tickets at least 4 times apparently which is all that was required of him. Yet it is my understanding that he was being held so he could give evidence in that trial which is totally unconstitutional." End quote.
And while we don't know what will happen with his complaint, the immigration minister has said that the public service commission is investigating the officer in question.
Her name is Sheree Flores has put out a statement saying she "categorically denies any of the allegations made" against her.
