Visa scandal: Kweku Baako ‘fingers’ NSA top officials
Editor in chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper Malik Kweku Baako Jnr has made jaw-dropping revelations about visa racketeering syndicate at the National Sports Authority.
The syndicate which includes top-ranking officials at the National Sports Authority (NSA) whose names he will not mention appeared to have abused their positions to secure visas for people with questionable portfolios.
Kweku Baako Jnr cited a 16th June 2017 letter written by the unnamed NSA top official to the visa session of the US Embassy requesting visas for some national football supporters of Ghana.
The letter claimed the Black Stars was involved in two friendly matches in the US and needed Ghanaians to support them.
“The people were not genuine members of the supporters union,” Baako suggested.
As if that is not enough, Malik Baako cited another March 8, 2018 letter he intercepted from the Hungarian Embassy about how Ghana’s boxing federation secured visas for nine boxers who went to Hungary but had only four of them returning.
The Hungarians have since written several letters to the Federation complaining about the missing boxers and how the conduct of the Federation could affect bilateral relations between the two countries.
The newspaper editor made the revelations on Joy FM’s news analysis programme Newsfile Saturday while discussing the embarrassing Commonwealth scandal at the Sports Ministry.
At least four officials at the Sports Ministry and the National Sports Authority have been suspended after over 60 fake journalists were deported from Australia.
The over 60 persons dubiously acquired visas through the assistance of some officials at the NSA.
They were busted at the Australian Airport and deported to Ghana.
Based on preliminary investigations into the scandal, the Deputy Sports Minister Pius Enam Hadzide, the Acting Director General of the NSA, Robert Safo Mensah and other members of the Ghana Olympic Committee have been suspended.
Two other officials at the NSA have also been dismissed as a result.
According to Kweku Baako Jnr some two officials at the NSA have confirmed to adding nine unqualified persons to the list who went to Australia. It is not clear if the same dismissed officials were the ones who confessed to securing the visas.
Malik Baako would rather government turns its attention to the Federations and the NSA where he is convinced acts of visa racketeering is endemic.
“There is enough evidence that there is a subculture of visa racketeering there,” he pointed out.
Source: myjoyonline.com
