Court orders arrest of social worker over visa fraud

An Accra Circuit Court ordered the arrest of a Social Worker, Mina Amissah for failing to appear in court to answer some charges of fraud levelled against her.

Mina is standing trial with Michael Anderson, a businessman.

The two are said to have collected GH¢22,000.00 for 22 applicants with the intent of providing them with Canadian and United States of America visias.

Anderson has pleaded not guilty to the charge of conspiracy and defrauding by false pretenses.

The court presided over by Mrs Jane Harriet Akweley Quaye admitted Anderson to bail in the sum of GH¢30,000.00 with one surety to reappear on June 18.

When the matter was called Chief Inspector Agartha Asantewa told the court that she did not know why Mina did show up in court hence prayed the court for a bench warrant for her arrest.

The facts as narrated by Chief Inspector Asantewa was that Mr Brain Damein Yeboah is a co-pilot based in Canada whilst Mina resides at Takoradi in the Western Region and Anderson lives at Haatso, Accra.

On April 18, last year, Mr Yeboah discussed with a friend that he needed someone to assist him with travelling documents in order to send a nanny to Canada.

Chief Inspector Asantewa said the said friend then introduced him to Mina.

Prosecution said Mina told Mr Yeboah that she has an uncle at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who assists people with acquisition of visas.

Mina in her bid to convince the complainant showed some visas she claimed her uncle had worked on to Mr Yeboah.

Mr Yeboah became interested and quickly organized 22 passports of his relatives, friends and a nanny and then paid GH¢17,000.00 to Mina through her Fidelity bank account and later sent her GH¢5,000.00 to Mina’s husband in the person of Patrick Amissah through Mobile money to facilitate the acquisition of the visas.

Prosecution said Mina promised the complainant that she would secure the visa within seven weeks.

The Prosecution said five weeks after they had received the money, Mina sent copies of invitation letters to the complainant with the assurance that the visas were at the final stage and they would be issued in a few days.

After persistent demands by the complainant, Mina and Anderson returned 21 out of the 22 passports with no visas in them.

According to prosecution the money were however not refunded. On January 1, this year the Director General in charge of the Criminal Investigations Department was petitioned and Mina was invited.

Prosecution said Mina in her caution statement said she gave the passports to Anderson who claimed to be working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to secure the said visas.

Prosecution said Anderson told the Police that Mina and her husband gave him GH¢ 12,850.00 not GH¢22,000.00 and he (Anderson) received only 21 passports.

Meanwhile Prosecution said Mina’s husband has refunded GH¢5,000.00 to the complainant.