Samuel Issah Abdulai, a 28-year-old driver, who was arrested on his wedding day for fraud, has appeared before an Accra Circuit Court.
Abdulai is accused of defrauding three individuals of GH¢352,000 under the pretense of securing visas for them, but he failed to deliver.
He allegedly promised to obtain electronic visas for Mongolia, Georgia, Albania, and Malaysia.
He has been charged with three counts of defrauding by false pretenses and forgery of documents but has pleaded not guilty.
Presiding over the case, Judge Samuel Bright Acquah granted Abdulai bail set at GH¢150,000 with three sureties, one of whom must be justified. The accused has also been ordered to report to the police every two weeks.
The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Daniel Danku, stated that the complainants—Ohenewa Sarah and Matilda Ayaaba, both traders, and Aisha Ahmed, a businesswoman—reside in Accra. Meanwhile, Abdulai lives in Nkawie, located in the Ashanti Region.
According to the prosecution, between September and December 2024, Abdulai and his accomplice, identified as Antwi, advertised their visa services online, targeting individuals interested in traveling to countries such as Belarus, Andorra, Albania, and Malaysia for work opportunities.
At the time, Abdulai falsely claimed to be in Belarus.
The court heard that the accused was later contacted by the three complainants on different occasions, and he convinced them that he could help them acquire visas to the aforementioned countries.
The prosecution said Abdulai then demanded and collected GH¢47,000 from Sarah Ohenewa, the first complainant, GH¢55,000 from Matilda Ayaaba, the second complainant, and GH¢250,000 from the third complainant, Aisha Ahmed, who had collected the money from eleven other individuals.
After receiving the money via his mobile money number, which bears his name, Abdulai went into hiding.
The court heard that in December 2024, Abdulai resurfaced and sent some documents he claimed were electronic visas to the complainants via WhatsApp.
The prosecution said the complainants suspected foul play and started looking for the accused person.
The complainants and other alleged victims of Abdulai eventually arrested him at his wedding ceremony in Nkawie, Ashanti Region, and handed him over to the police at Teshie.
Further checks on the electronic visas at the Immigration DFEC Unit revealed that all the visas were fake, the prosecution said.
