IPNEWS-LONDON: Metropolitan Police in the Met’s East Area of London are investigating former Liberia’s Special Representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London, for ‘overstayed visa’.

Detective Sergeant Andy McAlister, told the Daily Mali the former Liberian Diplomat was called in for questioning after it was realized he had overstayed more than 180 days without obtaining a new visa for stay in the UK, against British immigration law.

British law on immigration, specifically overstay Visa, states that a ‘person may be barred from returning to the UK for three or ten years, depending on the period overstayed’.

The law also provides that overstays may be further be ‘restricted from an Extension of Stay or Change of Status’ including ‘non-permit to obtain a new visa except in his/her country of nationality’.

British immigration law governing Diplomats, says ‘that any foreign national who has stayed beyond his period of authorized stay in the UK must return to his country of nationality to obtain a new visa’.

Sources familiar with the case say a criminal complaint has been made with British police against the former high profile Government official residing in London.

It may be recalled, former Liberia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gbarzongar Milton Findley, on July 3, 2020, for the first time publicly spoke about the passport issue involving the country’s embattled Representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Isaac Jackson.

Minister Findley, speaking on a radio talk show in Monrovia, disclosed that Mr. Jackson was not an ambassador and cannot be given a diplomatic passport.

“I don’t know if Isaac Jackson is an ambassador; what I know is that he works for the IMO and he’s a Liberian – who is entitled to a Liberian passport,” Minister Findley said.

There has been a serious controversy between Liberia’s former representative at the IMO and the Liberian government over passport issues.

Jackson had accused the government of denying him a diplomatic passport while he serves at the IMO.

Jackson claims he is entitled to a diplomatic passport, and as such the government is under obligation to issue him a diplomatic passport.

He had since sent his passport to the Foreign Ministry for renewal when President George Weah appointed Moses Brown as his replacement at the IMO. Jackson challenged the President’s decision to replace him at the court.

However, he requested the return of his passport to no avail. But Foreign Minister Findley claims Jackson only deserves an ordinary Liberian passport, which he claims has been sent to him.

“As far the Foreign Ministry is concern, we have not denied anyone passport, not under my leadership,” Findley said. “He [Jackson] applied for passport for he and his family and they got it.”

I DON’T LIKE WEAH, BUT I NEED THE JOB’

Meanwhile, the authoritative Independent Probe Newspaper, has reliably gathered that Liberia’s former Deputy Minister of Information and Special Representative to the IMO, is reportedly making frantic efforts to land a job with the CDC led government.

After losing several legal and political battles to secure his job, Cllr. Issac Jackson is now out of government, but seeks a second chance, a close associate to Cllr. Isaac Jackson told IPNews.

Another source told IPNews that Issac Jackson’s destitution after his removal from the lucrative IMO Rep job is reportedly threatening his marriage as there are reported marital strains and Mrs. Jackson has reportedly spoken with divorce lawyers in the Met’s community for a possible divorce.

“Broke and stuck in London, the former Liberian minister is desperate for a chance to be Minister of Information.” A source at the Ministry of Information told IPNews

This paper has furthermore gathered that been Finance Minister Samuel Tweah and others are encouraging President George Weah to appoint Cllr. Jackson to a strategic MICAT post as a way of countering Liberty Party and the CPP.

There’s been no response on the matter of overstayed visa by Cllr. Jackson by IPNEWS, including behind the scene lobby for job with the Weah’s government even up to Press time.

Details on this developing story in our subsequent publication.