The Dansoman Circuit Court, presided over by Her Honour Basilia Adjei-Tawiah, has granted bail in the sum of GH¢150,000 to a 35-year-old travel agent, Evans Mensah Kankam, who has been charged with conspiracy to commit crime and defrauding by false pretence.
The bail comes with two sureties, both of whom must be justified with landed property.
Kankam pleaded not guilty to two counts — conspiracy to commit crime and defrauding by false pretence — contrary to Sections 23(1) and 131(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
Per the court’s bail conditions, the accused is to deposit all travelling documents, including a valid passport, at the registry of the court.
He is also required to report to the police once every two weeks until the commencement of the trial. The case has been adjourned to November 3, 2025.
Chief Inspector Christopher Wonder, prosecuting, told the court that the accused, along with an accomplice, Shadrack Nti who is currently at large allegedly defrauded the complainant, Gilbert Sei Kwabena, to the tune of GH¢388,621.00 under the pretext of securing Schengen visas for him and four other individuals.
Background
According to the prosecution, the complainant, an entrepreneur residing in Kasoa, approached Kankam in November 2024 with the intention of travelling abroad.
Kankam, who presented himself as a travel and tour agent based at Amanfrom in the Ashanti Region, assured him of his ability to procure Schengen visas.
Kwabena then informed four of his friends, who also expressed interest. The accused quoted €4,000 per person and provided his Cal Bank account (number: 140000027…) for payments.
An initial amount of GH¢104,400 was paid into the account, followed by a further GH¢80,977 in cash. Kankam later introduced his alleged accomplice, Shadrack Nti — said to be based in Nigeria — as his colleague handling parts of the visa process, and instructed the complainant to pay additional funds to Nti.
In total, the accused persons allegedly collected GH¢388,621.00 from the complainant. Kankam and his accomplice eventually took the complainant and the four others to Nigeria, where they were issued with what turned out to be fake visas to France.
Upon arrival at the Lagos Airport, Nigerian authorities detected the visas were counterfeit. All five individuals were arrested and detained before being released and returning to Ghana.
The complainant subsequently reported the matter to the Holy Gardens Police Station in Accra. Kankam was arrested with the assistance of Kumasi Central Police and transferred to Holy Gardens CID for investigation.
During interrogation, Kankam reportedly admitted to the offence and refunded GH¢120,000.00 to the complainant. He was then formally charged and arraigned before the court.
The prosecution noted that efforts are underway to locate and arrest Shadrack Nti.
The case has been adjourned to November 3, 2025, for the continuation of proceedings.
