Lawyer for suspended National Sports Authority (NSA) Director General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, Jerry Avenorgbor, has denied allegations that his client was involved in a visa facilitation scheme linked to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Thursday, October 1, 2026, Mr Avenorgbor insisted that Mr Ampofo Ankrah neither collected money from individuals seeking visa assistance nor facilitated any such arrangements.
“My client has not done it. My client has not been in physical form, present with anybody, collected and taken money to do anything,” he said.
President John Dramani Mahama suspended Mr Ampofo Ankrah to allow investigations into the allegations to proceed.
The allegations relate to claims that more than $600,000 was collected from individuals seeking assistance with visa and travel arrangements for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Minority in Parliament has alleged that some applicants were charged as much as $8,000.
However, Mr Avenorgbor described the allegations against his client as false and aimed at damaging his reputation.
“These are falsities and untruths,” he said, adding that “investigations will reveal the pure truth behind what is happening.”
He also clarified that the investigation is being conducted by the Economic Crime Unit at the Police Headquarters, rather than the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI), as has been reported.
“The matter as we speak is at the police headquarters, the economic unit, and they’ve been investigating for weeks now,” he said.
According to the lawyer, investigators have already invited several individuals and organisations as part of the probe.
Mr Avenorgbor further sought to distinguish the NSA from Tribe, a company he said was involved in World Cup-related activities and had documentation to support its operations.
“It’s not the NSA that Tribe worked for,” he stated.
The lawyer urged the public to allow the investigation to run its course, maintaining that the facts would eventually emerge.
“My client has not done anything in this regard. This is information being peddled to denigrate the reputation of my client,” he said.
He added: “Time will reveal, and that’s it.”
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