Member of Parliament for South Tongu, Hon Kwabena Woyome Mensah has lauded president Nana Akufo-Add for suspending Pius Hadzide and Robert Sarfo Mensah.
On Thursday, Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports Pius Enam Hadzide and Acting Director General for the National Sports Authority Robert Sarfo Mensah were suspended by the President Nana Akufo-Addo for their roles in the ongoing Australia visa racketeering scandal.
A press release from the Communications Directorate from the Presidency, indicate that the decision was taken following preliminary investigations conducted into the circumstances that led to the arrest of some sixty Ghanaians who had allegedly to enter Australia by false pretences, in the on-going 21st Commonwealth Games.
Reports went rife before the commencement of the 2018 Commonwealth Games that, more than 65 Ghanaians had been stranded, detained or deported from Australia by immigration authorities of Australia and transit countries like Singapore on suspicions of visa fraud.
The beleaguered Ghanaians, who claimed to be journalists, were billed to provide coverage for Team Ghana at the Games being held at Gold Coast in Australia, as they were issued visas as journalists from various media houses in Ghana.
But the Australian authorities were not convinced by their reasons for traveling to the country because although they claimed to be journalists and had genuine visas, many of them did not carry the recommended equipment for the coverage of such a sporting event.
And Hon. Kwabena Woyome, who doubles as the chairman of the Parliamentary select committee for sports, commended the president for the swift action against the perpetrators, “We commend the president for the action taken but we want the investigation to be transparent and independent,” Hon. Woyome told Happy FM‘s Wamputu Sports.
“We don’t want anyone to be used as a scapegoat. Those involved must face the full wrath of the law.”
The President of the Ghana Olympic Committee, Mr. Ben Nunoo Mensah; the Board Chairman of the National Sports Authority, Hon. Kwadwo Baah Agyeman, and the Chef-de-Mission for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Mr. Mohammed Sahnoon, have also been recalled from the Games to assist in investigations currently being undertaken by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Police Service.
The report in the media suggests that there will be an emergency meeting at the Jubilee House today (Friday, April 13) and another set of people could face the wrath of the president when found guilty of any malpractices.
The report further stated that many of the deported Ghanaians paid close to $3,000 each excluding their plane tickets and other reservations which cost around $1,500.
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