The deportees, although in possession of genuine traveling documents, were arrested and detained after they failed to answer the sports-related questions which they should ordinarily be familiar with.<\/p>\n
The country\u2019s Deputy Sports Minister, Pious Enam Hadidze, says an investigation has been opened into the development.<\/p>\n
However, he denied the ministry had anything to do with helping them get the visas in the first place – which Africa Live<\/b> reported earlier<\/p>\n
The denial came after one of the deportees told Ghana-based radio station, Atinka FM, that officials of the Ghana Olympics Sports Committee and the Ministry of Sports were paid between $2,000 and $5,000 (\u00a31,400 – \u00a33,550) to have their visas processed as journalists for the Games.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
AFP<\/span><\/div>
Ghana’s sports ministry has denied it had anything to do with 50 allegedly fake journalists getting visas for the Commonwealth Games.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Pius Enam Hadzide, told news site Graphic<\/a> it would be launching a probe – but the visas were not awarded by his department.<\/p>\n
The Australian authorities, however, suspected they were not genuine.<\/p>\n
Mr Hadidze told Ghana’s StarrFM Online<\/a> Australian authorities are “not convinced that some of the Ghanaians who purport to go and cover the commonwealth games intend to return to Ghana after the games\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n