NDC Demands Pius Hadzide Be Arrested For Alleged Admission In 2018 Australia Visa Scandal
- The National Democratic Congress has called for the arrest and prosecution of the New Patriotic Party's Pius Hadzide
- This follows a comment by the NPP candidate for Asuogyaman at a rally about facilitating the travels of Ghanaians
- The NDC said it saw Pius' statement as an admission of guilt after the 2018 Australia visa racketeering scandal
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of Pius Hadzide and his removal as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority (NYA).
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for Asuogyaman admitted at a campaign rally that he had facilitated the travel of Ghanaians to Australia during the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Source: UGC
Pius comments on sending people abroad
Per Ghanaweb, Hadzide allegedly told constituents that if elected, he would facilitate similar opportunities for them to travel to the USA, where the 2026 FIFA World Cup Tournament would be held.
However, the NDC said this 'admission of guilt' in the 2018 visa racketeering scandal should warrant his arrest and subsequent prosecution.
The NDC argued that his admitted role in the scandal undermined his credibility and posed a danger to democracy if he was elected to office.
At a press conference on Thursday, September 12, the NDC's Deputy National Communications officer said Hadzide must be held accountable for his actions.
Malik Basintale said the government should not ignore the blatant admission of guilt, particularly when it suggested that state funds were misused for personal gain.
He urged the authorities to act swiftly and bring Hadzide to book.
What is the 2018 Australian visa scandal?
In 2018, the country was hit with a visa racketeering scandal after it was discovered that some Ghanaians who had travelled to Australia for the Commonwealth Games under the guise of media coverage were not actually journalists.
The 50 fake reporters were swiftly arrested and deported back into the country.
Pius Hadzide, then a Deputy Sports Minister, was accused of facilitating the travels of these individuals but denied wrongdoing.
Following an investigation into the matter, Pius was cleared of any wrongdoing.
However, the NDC said his recent comments cast doubts on the government’s investigation into the matter.
Ghana hit by Norway visa scandal
YEN.com.gh previously reported that a para-cycling team purportedly representing Ghana in the Fjordkraft Bergen City Marathon fled to other Schengen states after arriving in Oslo, Norway.
The 11-member team did not register for the competition scheduled for late April, with the Norwegian embassy in Accra issuing alerts to regions to help repatriate the other fake team members.
Proofread by Bruce Douglas, senior copy editor at YEN.com.gh
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Source: YEN.com.gh
