Don’t overstay after Commonwealth Games- Australian High Commissioner warns

The Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, Andrew Barnes has cautioned Ghanaian journalists, athletes and officials in Australia for the Commonwealth Games to save the country from further disgrace by adhering to the conditions stipulated in their visa.

Andrew Barnes has sent a word of caution to those with the intention of staying in Australia after the sports festival to comply with the dates indicated on their visas.

Ghana’s image has already been soiled with the deportation of some Ghanaians who entered Australia under the guise of being journalists and the diplomat is counselling those with the clearance to stay for the games not to overstay their welcome.

Andrew Barnes in an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb TV, urged them to act in accordance with the conditions stated on their visas.

“I will just say that they should adhere to the conditions of their visas they applied for. To do anything else is dishonest and of course will reflect badly on themselves and their country. People apply for visas and the conditions are set out clearly what they can and cannot do. They should meet their obligation and behave honourably and honestly, he said.

In a related news, two officials of the National Sports Authority has been fingured in the scandal that has brought Ghana another international disgrace.

The duo, Christine Ashley and Husseini Akuetteh Addy, are the first casualties on an ongoing investigation to unmask officials who may have played in the part in the scandal which has overshadowed Ghana’s participation in the games.

According to Graphic Sports preliminary investigations conducted by the GOC boss indicates that Mr Addy tampered with the accreditation system of the CGA and subsequently made entries for individuals who are not supposed to be on the system and inserted names of persons who were neither athletes nor officials and captured them as such.