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Claim: Varney Alieu Jarsey, President of the All-Africa Students Union (AASU), has alleged that the Russian Embassy in Ghana refunds visa fees to applicants denied visas.
Verdict: False! Investigations by DUBAWA have revealed that the Russian Embassy in Ghana does not refund visa fees to applicants denied visas, as claimed. The organisation emphasised on its official website that “visa fees are not refundable.”
Full Text
The President of the All-Africa Students Union, Varney Alieu Jarsey, alleged that the Russian Embassy in Ghana refunds visa fees to applicants denied visas.
Appearing on the July 29 edition of “Ok Morning Rush” on OK FM 99.5 MHz, based in Liberia, which was also streamed live on the station’s Facebook page, Varney said:
“If you go to the Russian embassy in Ghana for a visa, if they do not give you your visa, they give your money back. Their policy is: These are poor African people; you [let us] give their money back; you [we] do not take their money.”
Varney made the statement between 2:30:22 and 2:30:32 hours in the live video.
Data on Facebook shows that as of August 13, 2024, the video had generated 772 likes, 1,600 comments, 201 shares, and 66,000 views.
DUBAWA decided to probe the claim as part of its campaign against misinformation and disinformation in Liberia.
Verification
DUBAWA searched the official website of the Russian Embassy in Ghana to establish whether the embassy refunds visa fees to applicants denied visas.
On page 1 of a document titled “Fees for the Consular Services,” published on its official website, the Russian Embassy in Ghana, it is emphasised that visa fees are not refundable.
“Visa fees are charged for the processing of documents submitted by applicants. Visa fees are not refundable,” the statement read.
DUBAWA later conducted a Google keyword search to determine whether data was online to support Mr Jarsey’s claim.
However, no credible evidence supports the AASU President’s claim that the Russian Embassy in Ghana refunds visa fees to applicants denied visas.
Conclusion
Based on the information on the Russian Embassy’s website in Ghana, Mr Jarsey’s claim that the Embassy refunds visa fees to applicants denied visas is false.
The researcher produced this fact-check under the DUBAWA 2024 Kwame KariKari Fellowship, in partnership with Radio Gbarnga FM 96.5 MHz, Liberia, to facilitate the spread of accurate and true information.
