Businessman granted bail over alleged visa fraud

A 36-year-old businessman, who allegedly took $13, 500 from two persons under the pretext of securing them Nicaragua and Mexican visas but failed has been granted bail by an Accra Circuit Court.

Nganyu Billy Nfor, a businessman, pleaded not guilty to defrauding by false pretence.

The Court presided over by Isaac Addo admitted Nfor to a GH₵120,000.00 bail with two sureties.

It directed the accused person to deposit his passport at the Court Registry.

The case has been adjourned to September 16, 2024.

Prosecution led by Assistant of Police (ASP) Kofi Anane narrated to the Court that the complainant, Nih Etheldreda Ayeah, and the accused person, were Cameroonians living in Ghana.

It said in June 2023 the complainant, who was working in Cameroon as a bank cashier and wanted to travel to Nicaragua, discussed her intentions with her elder sister’s husband Tange Maurice Mth living in the United States of America.

It said he introduced the accused person to her on the phone as a Cameroonian travel agent based in Ghana who could assist.

The Prosecution said the accused person made a representation to the complainant that he had helped a lot of Cameroonians to travel abroad from Ghana and could assist her also to travel to Nicaragua at the cost of $5,500.

It said, “The said amount was paid to the accused person in two tranches by the complainant’s in-law on her behalf.”

It said the accused person later invited the complainant to come to Ghana from Cameroon for the necessary travel preparations to Nicaragua as all documents were ready.

The Prosecution said the accused person did not show the Nicaraguan visa to the complainant but promised her three days to give her the requisite documents to her destination.

The Court heard that in September 2023, the accused person told the complainant that there was a problem with the route to Nicaragua so he would secure a Mexican visa for her to travel to Mexico instead.

The Prosecution said the accused person then collected an additional $8,000 USD but still failed to deliver the visa.

It said the case was reported to Police and the accused person was arrested.

It said the accused person admitted receiving a total amount of GH₵108.000 00 which was equivalent to $13,500 from Tange Maurice Mih on behalf of the complainant.

“He further claimed that the said amount was used to procure travel documents for the complainant, however, he could not produce any document to substantiate his claim,” it added.

The Prosecution said the investigation revealed that there was no genuine travel package for the complainant.