Old Tafo Member of Parliament, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, has called for the immediate suspension of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) Chief Executive Officer over the World Cup visa scandal.
Making the call during an interview on JoyNews’ Newsfile, he presented documents and WhatsApp messages that he said raise serious questions about the GTA’s involvement in the visa controversy.
The World Cup visa scandal initially focused public attention on the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Sports Authority (NSA). The NSA recently removed its Director-General amid the controversy.
However, Mr Assafuah said new evidence points to possible administrative involvement at the GTA. He claimed that an official list submitted to the United States Embassy contained more than 30 names.
According to the MP, the legitimate GTA board has about 11 institutional representatives. He said the list submitted to the embassy therefore contained several questionable names.
GTA list allegedly contained fake board members
Mr Assafuah alleged that some people on the list had no official connection to the GTA board. He said the documents presented some individuals as board members or affiliates even though they did not hold such positions.
The MP also raised concerns about groups of people with the same surnames appearing on the list. He suggested that some of them could be relatives of legitimate board members.
Mr Assafuah said the evidence requires an independent investigation.
WhatsApp messages cited in visa controversy
The Old Tafo MP also referred to WhatsApp messages that he said support his allegations. According to him, one individual allegedly indicated that the person obtained a visa based on claims of being a GTA board member.
Mr Assafuah questioned how people without official positions could have appeared on documents submitted to the US Embassy. He argued that the matter could affect Ghana’s diplomatic relations with the United States.
MP demands suspension of GTA CEO
Mr Assafuah said the GTA CEO should step aside while authorities investigate the allegations. He argued that an impartial investigation could be difficult if the CEO remains in office.
The MP questioned whether the evidence already presented was enough to justify her suspension. “If the CEO of Ghana Tourism Authority misrepresents this to the US Embassy, do you think that there’s a lot more that I have to prove before I can ask for a suspension for investigations to be done?”
Mr Assafuah queried, insisting that an immediate suspension is non-negotiable to clear the path for a thorough probe into the institutional misconduct.
He called for immediate administrative action to allow investigators to establish the facts. The allegations form part of the growing controversy surrounding the World Cup visa scandal.
Source: myinfotoday.com
