Parliament’s Youth and Sports Committee chairman Ernest Norgbey has urged politicians to stay out of the investigation into alleged irregularities involving Ghana’s 2026 World Cup travel arrangements.
The investigation follows concerns over an alleged $623,000 visa facilitation payment linked to supporters and officials travelling to the tournament.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story, Norgbey said the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) should be allowed to do its work without political interference.
“We can do our politics! We are politicians, we can do our politics. I’m not sure the security agencies, the investigative agencies, will also do politics with it.”
He warned that political involvement could affect the investigation.
"If that is not handled well, it will also be treated as one of the politics that we play in this country, which I am worried about. If an individual has committed a crime, visa recipient, etc., and the investigative authorities are handling the matter, politicians should be taken away out of this matter. Otherwise we'll handle it in the political way, and to what end? That is my worry at this point in time."
Norgbey also expressed concern about the issue being discussed publicly.
“That is why I am so worried that this matter is being discussed at this point, at this level, in the public domain, because if care is not taken, at the end of the day it will go a long way to interfere with what the CID is doing.”
He said allegations against officials should not be treated as facts until the investigation is completed.
President John Mahama has directed National Sports Authority director-general Yaw Ampofo-Ankrah to step aside to allow investigations into the matter.
Norgbey said the situation involving Ampofo-Ankrah is different from that of Sports Minister Kofi Adams, who he said has not, to his knowledge, been invited by the CID for questioning.
By: Pascal Amoah
