A 44-year-old businessman, Shaibu Muntawakiw, has been granted bail in the sum of GH¢70,000 by the Dansoman Circuit Court after being accused of defrauding Mercy Kyei of GH¢63,000 under the pretext of securing a Canadian visa for her.
The bail, granted by Her Honour Halimah El-Alawa Abdul Baasit, comes with stringent conditions. Muntawakiw must provide three sureties, all of whom must be public servants earning not less than GH¢5,000 monthly and residing within the court’s jurisdiction. Additionally, one of the sureties is required to justify the bail with immovable property.
The court further directed Muntawakiw to report weekly to the police and deposit his national ID card with the court registry.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge of defrauding by false pretence, contrary to Section 131(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
The case has been adjourned to March 3, 2025 for a Case Management Conference (CMC).
Details of the Alleged Fraud
According to the prosecution, the incident occurred in June 2024 at Amasaman, in the Greater Accra Region.
Muntawakiw was introduced to the complainant, Mercy Kyei, by a witness, Shamsu Ibrahim, who described him as a travel and tour operator, capable of securing Canadian visas.
Muntawakiw allegedly promised to secure Kyei a visa within two weeks, for a fee of US$5,000 (GH¢63,000).
On August 30, 2024, Kyei reportedly paid the amount in the presence of Ibrahim, at Amasaman.
However, the accused later demanded an additional GH¢148,192 for a plane ticket, claiming the visa was ready.
Despite accompanying the complainant to purchase a Turkish Airlines ticket, Muntawakiw allegedly failed to provide the visa and subsequently went into hiding.
After several unsuccessful attempts to retrieve the visa, Kyei lodged a complaint with the police on December 31, 2024.
Muntawakiw was eventually arrested at his hideout in Asofan, a suburb of Accra on January 8, 2025.
In his caution statement, he admitted to collecting the money, but claimed he was still working on securing the visa.
The police are continuing their investigations into the matter.
