Former Deputy Sports Minister Pius Enam Hadzide says signed correspondence and admissions from applicants who paid money support the NPP’s criticism of Sports Minister Kofi Adams and suspended National Sports Authority (NSA) boss Yaw Ampofo Ankrah over the 2026 World Cup visa controversy.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Monday, Mr Hadzide said the party’s position was based on evidence rather than speculation.
“You are having people confessing that they paid money,” he said.
He also pointed to letters sent through government channels as material that required investigation. According to Mr Hadzide, correspondence had passed from the Ministry of Sports and Recreation through the Foreign Affairs Ministry to the relevant embassy.
“Letters were written and transmitted through the Ministry of Sports and Recreation through the Foreign Affairs Ministry to the embassy, which letters our journalists now have,” he said.
Mr Hadzide argued that the documents established a basis for questioning the officials connected to the process.
“So you see that if somebody is being blamed, either the minister or the NSA, here’s a basis for that blame.”
He said responsibility within the NSA also needed to be clearly established, raising questions about the creation of a dedicated secretariat and an appointment he described as outside the authority’s official structure.
“But we must be clear as to who was responsible for what in this case, and a secretariat has been established at the National Sports Authority (NSA). An appointment alien to the organogram has been made.”
The allegations became public after the World Cup, when JoySports reported that more than $623,000 had been collected from prospective travellers seeking help with visa applications. Some applicants said they received neither visas nor appointments for interviews.
Nana Gyamfi Awere, the NSA’s Chief Operations Officer, acknowledged receiving money from applicants and submitted a petition alleging that payments had also been made to other people.
Mr Ankrah was suspended on October 1 while investigations continue. His lawyer has denied that he accepted money to facilitate visas, while the Sports Ministry has rejected any suggestion of wrongdoing.
The ministry says it simply forwarded a request from the NSA through the established channels. It has also said there is no public evidence that Mr Adams collected money or received commissions.
Mr Hadzide compared the current case with the 2018 Australian visa controversy, which resulted in his suspension during President Akufo-Addo’s administration.
That controversy concerned allegations that Ghanaians had posed as journalists to travel to Australia for the Commonwealth Games. President Akufo-Addo later announced that Mr Hadzide had been cleared and reinstated him in July 2018.
“Unfortunately, in my own case, I didn’t find the basis, but I carried the cross,” Mr Hadzide said.
He questioned why nobody had emerged to name the person they had paid in order to travel to Australia.
“We are yet to get [such person].”
Mr Hadzide said the events of that period should now be reviewed.
“So for me, there should be clarity now on the 2018 so-called Australia visa scandal”.
