The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Italy had denied due process and ignored the advice of its own refugee commission to expel the Africans, who arrived in Sicily last week after a three-week standoff at sea.

"(The) UNHCR expressed its strong concern over apparent disregard for accepted international and European standards and for fundamental elements of due process," said the leading global refugee advocate in a statement.

The UNHCR said 25 asylum seekers out of 37 picked up in the southern Mediterranean by a German ship run by aid group Cap Anamur had been flown to Ghana Thursday, after five had been sent to Nigeria. One was granted temporary residence.

The interior ministry said the six others were from Ghana and would be repatriated "on the first available flight."

Italy expelled the refugees after accusing Cap Anamur of a publicity stunt and arrested the ship's captain, a crew member and the head of the aid group on suspicion of aiding illegal immigration. They were later released.

Cap Anamur claimed the Africans fled Sudan's war-torn region of Darfur. Italy said none of the refugees were Sudanese.

The U.N. said Italy's central commission which determines refugee status claims appeared to have been under strong pressure to deny the claims, with authorities saying that none of the claimants was a refugee before they had been interviewed.

Nevertheless, after the commission recommended that 22 seekers be granted asylum for humanitarian reasons, the government ignored "most if not all" of the recommendations and deported the group, the U.N. said.

The UNHCR also criticized Italy for allowing diplomats from the asylum-seekers' possible countries of origin, including Sudan, to see the refugees.

The UNHCR did not spare the Cap Anamur, either, saying there were question marks over the aid group's behavior.

"The politicization of these cases on all sides was also very unfortunate," said Raymond Hall, UNHCR's Director for Europe.

Italy passed a tough new law in 2002 to crack down on the waves of illegal immigrants who try to land on its shores each year, but Italy's highest court knocked down part of it last week.