…CID Report Exonerates Him From All Allegations
By Frank Amponsah
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Police Service has finally cleared the Deputy Minister for Information, Hon. Pius Hadzide, who was then serving as the Deputy Youth and Sports Minister, of all allegations levelled against him relating to the scandal that rocked the Commonwealth games in Australia last year.
It emerged during the games that some Ghanaians; including people who claimed to be journalists were refused entry by the Australian authorities and were subsequently deported for various reasons.
It also came up that the deportees were illegally entered into the GOC data to travel to the games in Australia.
Allegations were later levelled against the then Deputy Youth ad Sports Minister, Pius Hadzide who was alleged to have compelled the inclusion of some twelve names to the list of those travelling for the Olympic games.
According to a report by the CID dated June 8, 2018, a Data Entry Clerk, Husseini Akwetteh when interrogated, confessed he was compelled by the Deputy Minister to add the said names to the list for the trip.
Meanwhile it was established that the allegations did not disclose whether or not those extra names which Hon. Hadzide supposedly caused to be added to the list were discovered in the GCC/CGA Team Size calculator accreditation system.
According to the report, although a number of journalists and other people applied to go for the games through the link opened by the Gold Coast Organising Committee, “all of them had their applications approved.”
Some journalists reported that the method used in selecting journalists to the games was flawed, hence the system was manipulated by many who posed as journalists.
Meanwhile, out of about 14 of such persons deported for posing as journalists, 3 of them according to the report, were truly journalists.
However, the CID pointed out that the allegations that Hon Pius Hadzide facilitated the inclusion of several names into the Commonwealth Games accreditation system could not be substantiated.
It noted that the investigations established that the Deputy Minister’s name never came up as one of the persons who aided the inclusion of names into the system.
“No person or persons interrogated ever mentioned his name as collecting monies from him to help him or her to proceed to Gold Coast in Australia,” the report indicated.
Rather, one Patrick Ampadu was the one alleged to have collected cash amount of USD12, 000 from one Maxwell on behalf of the Deputy Minister.
Meanwhile, investigations, as conducted by the CID, revealed that the contact number to the said Ampadu Patrick when it was called landed at the front Desk of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and responded by Christiana Duker, a front desk officer at the Ministry.
She however denied collecting money from the said Maxwell for the Deputy Minister.
“The supposed Maxwell was called and his statement also denied having paid such money to the said Patrick Ampadu,” the report stated.
The report also stated that: “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.”
Stay tuned for the full report
