Former Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Pius Hadzide lost his cool on live television after the Deputy National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress, Malik Basintale resurrected the issue of his alleged involvement in the visa racketeering scandal that rocked Ghana’s participation in the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Pius Hadzide was left seething with rage after Basintele accused him of allegedly being the mastermind of the scandal that courted Ghana international disgrace.
Pius Hadzide who is now the Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority was empanelled with Basintele on the Wednesday, October 25 edition of TV3’s breakfast show. He had raised some points relative to the alleged involvement of former president John Dramani Mahama in some corruption activities during his tenure as president.
In response to the submission by his co-panel, Malik Basintale resurrected the issue of the Australian visa scandal which had Pius Hadzide investigated and cleared by the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service.
Basintale was shocked by Pius Hadzide’s reference to John Mahama as a person of interest in some corruption-related activities as he believes the former Sports Minister is a ‘colossus of corruption’.
“The discussion has to do with the fact that you are a walking colossus of corruption. You turned yourself into a goro boy and took over 200 persons to Australia. You thought because you had beaten the immigration in Ghana, Australian authorities would allow them to pass. They deported over 200 of them in the name of journalists. When one of the persons was asked what record is, he didn’t know. They realized that a deputy minister like you had reduced yourself to a corruption man. An investigation was done...”
While Basintale was making his submissions, Pius Hadzide charged in “I’m not going to sit here for this ignorant narrative to be spilled across. I’m not going to take it."
Basintale jabbed again, saying, “You think you can say anything and get away with it. You are crying. You want to cry."
Pius Hadzide directed his rage at Naa Ashorkor, the host, fuming that, “I cannot take that.”
Basintale then mocked him more: “Your eyes are red. You want to cry. An investigation was conducted and the president went to your congress in Ho to clear you. Have you seen the report of the CID?"
Hadzide directed him to get the report that cleared him stating, “Go and get the report”.
About the Australia Visa Scandal
More than 60 people were deported from Australia for posing as journalists in order to enter the country during the games in April 2018.
The scandal led to the suspension of the then Director General for the National Sports Authority, Robert Sarfo-Mensah, and Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports, Pius Enam Hadzide.
The Bureau of National Investigation launched an investigation into the alleged fraud and President Akufo-Addo later cleared Hadzide on the basis of the report but Sarfo-Mensah remained suspended.
Watch the exchange below
The goro boy Pius Enam Hadzide will never forget these punchlines from Malik????
— Gh Kobbi (@_AshaimanBoy) October 25, 2023
This is how connection men in this government should be dealt with. pic.twitter.com/g12epWJZgH
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