Morocco man tries to avoid deportation

 By CHARLES MOI 

A MAN from Morocco has filed a human rights case in the National Court seeking to restrain the Government from deporting him home. 

Mohamed Dahan Chagdali appeared with his lawyer Ben Lomai and moved the application for interim restraining orders before Justice Ere Kariko in Waigani yesterday. 

Chagdali deposed in an affidavit that he had fled Morocco because of political persecution and came to PNG via Indonesia. 

He is married to a woman from the Autonomous Region of Bouganville and they have five children. 

Lomai said Chagdali was advised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on May 31, 2012 that his certificate for refugee status had been revoked. 

UNHCR made this decision because it could not verify Chagdali’s refugee claims.  Chagdali was arrested on Aug 28 and detained at Bomana prison to be deported. 

According to Lomai, his client had made numerous attempts without success to meet with chief migration officer to apply for PNG citizenship.

Lomai asked the court to grant an interim restraining order until the case was determined in court because proper processes regarding the deportation were not followed. 

Kariko did not issue a restraining order but asked Lomai if he had obtained any information from the police, Correctional Services or the Immigration authorities regarding the detention and direction for deportation. 

Lomai said he did not have information from them. 

The court directed Lomai to obtain further instructions from Chagdali and to serve necessary court documents to the first defendant, the Chief Migration Officer Mataio Rabura and two others. 

Parties will return to court on Friday.