NSA Saga: 'Ministry of Sports has no intention of shielding anybody' – Wonder Mandel

Wonder Mandel, an aide to Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams, has assured the public that the Ministry will not shield any individual or organisation found culpable in the allegations surrounding Ghana’s visa facilitation arrangements for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Speaking at a press conference organised by the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, Mandel said anyone found to have engaged in misconduct, falsified information or improperly benefited from the arrangement would be held accountable.

“The Ministry of Sports and Recreation has no intention of shielding anybody, and I repeat, the Ministry of Sports and Recreation and the Minister of Sports and Recreation have no intention of shielding anybody,” he stated.

He added that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was already investigating aspects of the allegations, with the Ministry pledging its full cooperation with the ongoing investigations.

Mandel said the allegations involved the National Sports Authority (NSA), the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Tribe Culture Fest and individuals alleged to have collected money from prospective travellers seeking to participate in activities connected to the World Cup.

“If investigations establish that any public official, private organisation or individual collected money, misrepresented applicants to a diplomatic mission, falsified institutional information, abused public office or personally benefited from any improper arrangement, that person must answer for it,” he said.

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The Ministry convened the press conference to address what Mandel described as misinformation, misleading documents and inconsistencies surrounding the visa facilitation controversy.

He explained that although the Ministry would ordinarily allow the CID investigation to proceed before commenting extensively, it had decided to engage the media and present documentary evidence to clarify issues that had generated public debate.

Mandel also challenged claims made by Member of Parliament Vincent Ekow Assafuah, insisting that some of the allegations against the Ministry and the Sports Minister needed to be corrected using primary documents.

He cautioned against the circulation of inaccurate dates, changing figures, incomplete documents and unverified allegations being presented as established facts.

However, Mandel stressed that the Ministry’s decision to respond to the allegations should not be interpreted as an attempt to influence public opinion. Rather, he said, the aim was to allow journalists to examine the available documents and draw their own conclusions.

“We are not here to convince you to believe what we are coming to say, but we are leaving all the documents right in front of you to deliberate and also see the truth between the lies that we communicated over the period,” he added.

PAH/MA

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