EXCLUSIVE: Details of CID report on Australia Visa scandal

ABC News can state authoritatively that Deputy Information Minister, Pius Enam Hadzide was indeed cleared of any wrongdoing in the visa racketeering scandal in Australia in 2018 based on a CID Report in our possession.

President AKufo-Addo suspended Pius Enam Hadzide, then the Deputy Sports Minister, and other Officials of the Sports Authority over their alleged involvement in a Visa racketeering in relation to the Olympic Games in Australia.

Following investigations by the CID into the matter, President Akufo-Addo reinstated the deputy minister after the report by the CID suggested no act of wrongdoing on the part of Mr. Hadzide. He was subsequently reshuffled to the Information Ministry.

Despite his exoneration, Pius Hadzide and the government have come under a barrage of attacks particularly by some opposition elements doubting the authenticity of the President’s actions.

However, exclusive documents available to ABC News, indicate that the CID found no evidence of corruption or malpractice against the then Deputy Sports Minister.

The 14 page document quotes in part, “Again there was an allegation of the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Honourable Pius Enam Hadzide facilitating the inclusion of several names into the Commonwealth Games accreditation system. Throughout the investigations, no person or persons interrogated ever mentioned his name as collecting monies from him to help him or them proceed to Gold Coast in Australia. Again One Patrick Ampadu was alleged to have collected cash of twelve thousand United States ($12,000) dollars from one Maxwell on behalf of Honourable Hadzide but investigations established that the number alleged to be that of Patrick Ampadu when called was responded by Christiana Duker a front desk officer of the Ministry of Youth and Sports who vehemently denied that she had collected any money from Maxwell for the Deputy Minister. The supposed Maxwell was called and in his statement also denied having paid any such money to the said Patrick Ampadu.”

On the allegations of a deliberate scheme between the Sports Minister, his deputy Pius Hadzide and the Acting Director of the National Sports Authority to have external names included into the ofiicial list, the CID conluded that, “It was revealed during investigations that when the Honourable Minister returned from the Commonwealth Ministers conference he called the Deputy Minister to come and brief him on happenings whilst he was away after which he was asked to submit a report. It was when the Deputy Minister was leaving that the Acting Director-General entered the Minister’s office. At no point was there a meeting between the Minister, his Deputy and the Acting Director-General of NSA where a confession was made by the Acting Director-General that he caused four names to be added to the accreditation database. At this point of investigations, allegations of the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Honourable Hadzide Pius Enam colluding with people to have had names of certain people added to the commonwealth database has not been proven. So far, no person or persons have come forward to state that the Deputy Minister aided him or her to travel to Australia.”

ABC News, in subsequent stories will bring you more exclusive details it has obtained in the course of its investigations into the Australia Visa Scandal