A 38-year-old farmer, Richard Turkson, has been arraigned before the Circuit Court in Accra on charges of defrauding by false pretenses, contrary to Section 131(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
The accused is alleged to have deceived Forster Yaw Hedze, a mechanic, into parting with GH¢52,000 under the pretense of securing a United States visa for Hedze’s wife, Victoria Mensah.
Court Proceedings
Presiding over the case, Her Honour Susana Eduful granted Turkson bail in the amount of GH¢80,000, with three sureties.
The court stipulated that each surety must earn no less than GH¢3,000 monthly, and one of them must be an immediate relative of the accused.
The case has been adjourned to January 29, 2025, for further proceedings.
Details of the Alleged Fraud
According to court documents, the incident occurred in April 2024, when Hedze sought assistance to secure a U.S. visa and work permit for his wife.
 Turkson allegedly claimed he could facilitate the process through a purported partner in the United States, identified as Isaac Nyantaki, who was described as being involved in recruiting nurses for overseas work.
The accused assured Hedze that for a fee of $4,000, the visa and necessary documentation would be ready within six weeks.
 Convinced by these representations, Hedze transferred GH¢52,780 to a Fidelity Bank account provided by Turkson.
However, after confirming receipt of the funds, Turkson reportedly ceased all communication with Hedze. Several attempts to reach him proved futile, prompting Hedze to file a complaint with the police.
Subsequent police investigations revealed that Turkson had withdrawn the money from the provided bank account.
When arrested, he implicated one Isaac Nyantaki and another individual, Doris Nyamekye, but failed to provide any actionable information. Investigators dismissed his claims as fabrications.
