Tribe Culture Fest has denied taking money from individuals who were promised visas to the United States, Canada and Mexico, saying its work with the National Sports Authority (NSA) was limited to event and travel logistics.
CEO Nana Boateng Gyimah made the clarification at a press conference on Sunday, October 18, in response to Sports Minister Kofi Adams’ allegations that payments totalling $611,000 were linked to Ghana’s World Cup travel arrangements.
Gyimah said Tribe’s agreements with the NSA and other institutions covered hotel bookings, transportation, security and travel logistics, not private deals with people seeking visas. “Our dealings were institutional arrangements relating to specific programs 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.
He added that Tribe charged $3,000 and $2,000 as full and final payments for its services, and that the company never received money directly from individuals seeking visas. Gyimah also said he had heard that some people paid between $14,000 and $20,000 to individuals at the NSA with promises of securing visas, but stressed that Tribe received no such payments.
The company is now demanding documentation showing who received the disputed payments, how the money moved, and whether any of it reached Tribe Culture Fest or its CEO. It has also challenged authorities to provide the contractual and legal basis for any refund demand linked to the allegations.
