Businessman charged with fraud, forgery of KMA letters remanded

An Accra Circuit Court has remanded into Police custody a businessman accused of defrauding two persons of $27,000 under the pretext of securing them USA visas.

Bernard Oduro Takyi is accused of forging the embarkation and disembarkation stamps of Singapore, South Africa, Mauritius and Turkey in the various passports of the two complainants.

Takyi is also accused of forging Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) letter, introducing Gabriel Kwame Ntim, one of the complainants, as a strategic partner for local and external investors who were keen to invest in real estate in the ongoing government of Ghana IDIF Policy promoting industrialization.

In the case of the second complainant, Prince Kofi Osei, the accused person forged the KMA letter introducing him as a “Metro Climate Management officer.”

Takyi has been charged with two counts of defrauding by false pretences and three counts of forgery of official and other documents.

He has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecution led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Maxwell Oppong opposed the grant of bail.

The court presided by Samule Bright Acquah has adjourned the matter to February 12, 2024.

The Prosecution‘s case Is that the complainants, Gabriel Kwame Ntim and Prince Kofi Osei, are mechanic and personnel of Electricity Company of Ghana, respectively. Ntim and Osei reside in Kumasi and Accra, respectively. The accused person resides in Gbawe.

In 2023, the complainants decided to travel to the United State of America, and they separately informed the accused.

Prosecution said the accused person convinced them of securing visas for some people from the Regional USA embassy in Ghana within three months and added the complainant’s names to them.

The prosecutor said Ntim and Osei therefore paid $13,000 and $14 ,000 on April 19, 2023, and May 31, 2023, respectively.

Takyi then took the complainants’ passports and “forged entry and exist stamps of Singapore, Mauritius, Turkey, and South Africa without their consent.”

Again, prosecution said, Takyi forged KMA letter, introducing Ntim as “Strategic Partnership for both local and External Investor” who was keen in investing in real estate sector in the ongoing IDIF.

In the case of Osei, the accused person introduced him as a “Metro Climate Change Management Officer”

Prosecutions said Takyi submitted their (complainants) documents to the Regional USA Embassy in Madagascar.

It said Takyi led the complainants to Madagascar for Interview and visas were granted to the complainants.

Later, prosecution said the Embassy detected the “forgery and immediately revoked the visas.”

On December 22, 2023, a report was made to the Police and Takyi was arrested.