Tribe Culture Fest has denied receiving money from individuals allegedly promised visas to the United States, Canada and Mexico, insisting that its ro
Tribe Culture Fest has denied receiving money from individuals allegedly promised visas to the United States, Canada and Mexico, insisting that its role in Ghana’s World Cup travel arrangements was limited to event management and logistics.
The company’s chief executive, Nana Boateng Gyimah, made the statement at a press conference on Sunday, 18 October, following allegations by Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams involving payments reportedly totalling $611,000 linked to the country’s World Cup travel arrangements.
Gyimah said agreements between Tribe Culture Fest, the National Sports Authority (NSA) and other institutions covered services such as hotel bookings, transport, security and travel logistics.
He insisted that these arrangements were separate from any private dealings involving individuals who allegedly paid money in the hope of securing visas.
“Our dealings were institutional arrangements relating to specific programmes and activities. They were not personal financial arrangements with private individuals seeking visas to travel to the United States, Canada, or in fact, Mexico,” he said.
Gyimah said Tribe Culture Fest charged $3,000 and $2,000 as full and final payments for services provided under its institutional arrangements.
He maintained that the company had not received money directly from individuals seeking visas.
According to him, the company had been informed that some people allegedly paid between $14,000 and $20,000 to individuals at the NSA in exchange for assistance with visa applications, mainly for travel to the United States and Canada.
“Our attention has been drawn to the fact that individuals paid as high as 14,000 to 20,000 to individuals at the NSA with the promise of securing visas for their travels to the United States, Canada, and Mexico, but mainly the United States and Canada,” he said.
“We add that we have at no point in time received any payments from any individual as we were being told,” he added.
The company says the distinction is important, arguing that payments made to individuals over alleged visa assistance should not be confused with fees it received for contracted logistical services.
Tribe Culture Fest is calling for documents to establish who received the disputed payments, how the money was transferred and whether any of it reached the company or its chief executive.
It has also challenged the authorities to provide the contractual and legal basis for any demand that it refund money connected to the allegations.
The dispute raises questions about the handling of payments associated with Ghana’s World Cup travel arrangements and the responsibilities of the institutions and individuals involved.
However, the allegations and the company’s response remain distinct claims. Tribe Culture Fest denies receiving payments from private individuals seeking visas, while the company is demanding documentary evidence to clarify the movement of the disputed funds.
Further documentation establishing the recipients of the payments and any link to Tribe Culture Fest would be necessary to resolve the questions raised by the allegations.
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