Yaw Ampofo Ankrah hasn’t taken or received any money to facilitate visas – Lawyer insists

The lawyer for Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, the suspended Director-General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), has firmly stated that his client has not received any money related to the 2026 FIFA World Cup visa scandal. In an interview on JoyNews’ Newsfile, his attorney, Jerry Avernugbor, highlighted that the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) is conducting a thorough investigation into the matter.

Avernugbor emphasized the need for the public to wait for the investigation to uncover the facts, as the police have been diligently working on it for a week. He firmly maintained that his client has not accepted any monies from individuals involved in the visa facilitation process and has not participated in any visa-related transactions.

The lawyer pointed out that documents presented in connection with the allegations should be considered within the broader context, as they might lead to different conclusions than those drawn from the publicized evidence. According to Avernugbor, a company was introduced to his client through a representative at the US Embassy, which he described as a legitimate entity.

The lawyer also revealed that his client designated an assistant as the point of contact for the embassy after it requested one. While recognizing that the investigation could reveal wrongdoing, Avernugbor insisted that any judgment regarding his client's involvement should be based exclusively on the evidence presented by the CID.

He urged the public to allow the legal process to unfold and acknowledged that the police are conducting an aggressive investigation into the allegations of irregularities in visa applications linked to Ghana's participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.