AYV News, May 8, 2026
Hon. Abdul Kargbo, Minority Leader in Sierra Leone’s Parliament, has raised strong legal, administrative, and operational concerns over a recent directive reportedly issued by immigration authorities at the Freetown International Airport to international airlines operating in Sierra Leone.
In a detailed statement, Kargbo acknowledged that the directive may have been intended to address concerns surrounding forged resident and work permits. However, he argued that the notice raises significant issues that cannot be overlooked.
According to him, one of the major concerns is the apparent transfer of responsibility for verifying the authenticity of resident and work permits from state immigration authorities to airline personnel.
“Airlines are not immigration institutions, neither are their officers trained or legally empowered to authenticate Sierra Leone immigration documents,” he stated, emphasising that the responsibility for immigration verification rests with the State through the Immigration Department.
Kargbo also questioned the legality of the directive’s reported US$3,000 penalty for non-compliance. He noted that the notice allegedly fails to reference any law, statutory instrument, regulation, or policy framework authorizing such a fine.
“Administrative notices cannot simply create penalties without a clear legal basis,” he argued, adding that the enforceability of the directive therefore remains questionable.
The Minority Leader further raised concerns about the authority under which the directive was issued. He questioned whether the Head of Immigration at the Lungi International Airport possesses the legal mandate to issue binding directives to multiple international airlines.
He maintained that a directive of such significance should ordinarily originate from the Chief Immigration Officer, the Ministry Headquarters, or through a formally gazetted regulation.
Kargbo additionally criticized the quality and professionalism of the document, describing it as poorly drafted and containing grammatical and professional errors that undermine its credibility.
“Official communication directed to international airlines should meet a high standard of clarity, professionalism, and legal precision,” he stated.
Operational challenges were also highlighted in his statement. He observed that while the directive reportedly instructs airlines to offload luggage “no matter the time” if permits are found to be unauthentic, it fails to explain key procedures, including how authenticity should be verified, what systems airlines should use, which office is responsible for confirmation, and what happens in cases where systems are unavailable.
He further questioned who would bear responsibility if a passenger were wrongly denied boarding based on incorrect verification.
Kargbo also argued that the directive appears inconsistent with standard international aviation practice, noting that airlines already conduct passport and visa checks in line with destination requirements.
“Asking airline staff to authenticate domestic residency and work permits goes far beyond normal airline obligations,” he stressed.
Another issue raised was the absence of any verification mechanism for airlines. According to him, the notice provides no hotline, verification portal, contact office, or digital system to facilitate compliance, thereby making implementation difficult and vulnerable to arbitrary decisions.
The Minority Leader concluded by expressing concern over what he described as weak administrative procedure reflected in the overall presentation of the notice. He pointed to the absence of a reference number, legal citation, policy framework, and proper formatting expected in an official international compliance directive.
While supporting efforts to strengthen immigration systems and combat document fraud, Kargbo cautioned that such measures must be lawful, professionally communicated, operationally practical, and institutionally sound.
“Poorly drafted directives that exceed legal authority only create confusion, expose the country to embarrassment, and undermine confidence in our institutions,” he concluded.
