Five persons in court over visa fraud
Five persons who allegedly collected various sums of money totalling GH¢51,000 from11 people under the pretext of securing them visas and jobs in the United States of America, Canada and Australia, but failed, on Thursday appeared before an Accra circuit court.
Charged with conspiracy to commit crime and 11 counts of defrauding by false pretences, they have pleaded not guilty.
They are Reginald Nsowah, Felix Ofori Larbi, Prince Osei Sekyere, all students, Daniel Baafi and Gabriel Lartey both traders.
The court, presided over by Mrs Patience Mills Tetteh, remanded the two traders (Baafi and Lartey) into police custody while the three students (Nsowah, Larbi and Sekyere) were admitted to bail in the sum of GH¢100,000 with two sureties.
However, three accomplices namely; Enoch Dodoo, Ibrahim Freshpound and Ekow Clement Boateng are at large.
The accused persons are expected to reappear on October 30.
Chief Inspector Patrick Hanson, the prosecutor, said the complainants were three accountants, three traders, four national service personnel, a graphic designer and a teacher.
Chief Inspector Hanson said in August this year the complainant spotted adverts in the Kumasi Township that read Travel and work in the USA, Canada and Australia in three weeks, Visa assurance.”
Attached to the advert were two phone numbers belonging to Nsowah and Larbi which two of the complainants called and were invited to their office.
According to the prosecutor, the accused persons told the complainants they could acquire visas for them at a fee of 6,000 dollars and they were to pay their monies into Dodoo’s account at ECOBANK Ghana Limited.
Prosecution said after paying their monies they were brought to Accra and they were sent to the American Embassy where their finger prints were taken.
The complainants indicated that their passports were collected by Baafi, who claimed to be working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The accused persons informed the complainants that an unnamed Minister of State was behind the process.
Later on when the accused persons handed over their passports with visa’s to them, one of the complainants found that they were fake and alerted and his colleagues and Nsowah, who acted as an office boy, was arrested.
Prosecution said the complainants paid GH¢51,000 to the accused persons but Nsowah, Larbi and Sekyere claimed only GH¢16,000 was given them to be given to Baafi.
Source: GNA