The Dansoman Circuit Court has granted bail in the sum of GH¢70,000 to a 44-year-old businessman, Shaibu Muntawakiw, who is accused of defrauding Mercy Kyei of GH¢63,000 under the pretext of securing a Canadian visa.
Presiding Judge, Her Honour Halimah El-Alawa Abdul Baasit, set stringent bail conditions. Muntawakiw must provide three sureties, all of whom must be public servants earning at least GH¢5,000 monthly and residing within the court’s jurisdiction.
Additionally, one of the sureties must justify the bail amount with immovable property. The accused is also required to report weekly to the police and deposit his national ID card with the court registry.
Muntawakiw 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).
Prosecution’s Case
According to the prosecution, the incident occurred in June 2024 at Amasaman in the Greater Accra Region.
The accused was introduced to the complainant, Mercy Kyei, by a witness, Shamsu Ibrahim, who described Muntawakiw 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, Muntawakiw later demanded an additional GH¢148,192 for a plane ticket, claiming that the visa was ready. Despite accompanying Kyei to purchase a Turkish Airlines ticket, he 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 arrested on January 8, 2025, at his hideout in Asofan, a suburb of Accra. In his caution statement, he admitted to collecting the money but claimed he was still working on securing the visa.
Police investigations into the matter are ongoing as the court prepares to deliberate on the case.
