A Travel and Tour operator, who allegedly collected GHC388,621 from an entrepreneur under the pretext of providing him and four others with Schengen visas, has appeared before the Dansoman Circuit Court.
Evans Mensah Kankam is said to have collected the money at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in November 2024, to help them acquire the visas so they could travel to France.
The accused is alleged to have taken the complainants to Nigeria to travel to France, but their visas were found to be fake by the Nigeria authorities.
Kankam’s accomplice, whose name was given as Shadrack Nti, is at large,
Soon after Kankam’s arrest, he refunded GHc120,000 of the amount. He and Nti have been charged with conspiracy to commit crime and defrauding by false pretences.
Kankam has pleaded not guilty before the court and has been admitted to bail in the sum of GHC150,000 with two sureties to be justified with landed property.
The court ordered him to deposit his travelling documents, including valid passport, to the Court Registry and report once every two weeks to the police.
Prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Christopher Wonder, said the complainant, Gilbert Sei Kwabena, was an entrepreneur and resident of Kasoa while Kankam a travel and tour agent resides at Amanfrom in the Ashanti Region.
Shadrack Nti, the second accused person, is at large.
Prosecution said in November 24 the complainant contacted Kankam and declared his intention to travel abroad.
Kankam confirmed to the complainant that he was a travel and tour agent and could help him travel abroad.
Prosecution said the complainant informed four of his friends who also expressed interested.
Kankam then charged each person €4,000 euros to acquire the Schengen Visa.
He then gave his Cal Bank account number bearing the name Evans Mensah Kankam to the complainant to pay the money into.
Complainant paid an initial deposit of GHC104,400.00 into the account, which Kankam confirmed receiving.
He further collected a cash amount of GHC80,977.00 from the complainant.
Prosecution said Kankam then introduced Shadrack Nti, who was in Nigeria, to the complainant as his colleague who would help him in through the process and ordered the complainant to pay monies to the said Nti.
The accused person and Nti together collected a total of GH¢388,621 from the complainant.
Kankam and Nti then took the complainant and his four friends to Nigeria and issued them with visas to travel to France.
Prosecution said on their arrival at the Airport in Lagos, the authorities there declared the visas fake.
The complainant and the four other people were arrested and detained until they were later released and brought back to Ghana. They then reported the matter to the Holy Gardens Police Station.
The court heard that with the assistance of the Kumasi Central Police, Kankam was arrested and handed over to the Holy Gardens Criminal Investigations Department.
In his investigation caution statement, Kankam admitted the offence and refunded GHC120,000.00 to the complainant.
GNA
