The Dansoman Circuit Court, presided over by Her Honour Basilia Adjei-Tawiah, has granted bail in the sum of GH¢150,000 with two sureties to be justified with landed property to a travel agent accused of defrauding an entrepreneur of more than GH¢388,000 under the pretense of securing Schengen visas.
As part of the bail conditions, the accused, Evans Mensah Kankam, aged 35, must deposit his travel documents, including a valid passport, at the court registry and report to the police every two weeks until the trial begins.
The case has been adjourned to November 3, 2025.
Kankam, who pleaded not guilty, is standing trial alongside an accomplice, Shadrack Nti, who is currently at large.
They face two counts of 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).
According to the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Christopher Wonder, the complainant, Gilbert Sei Kwabena, an entrepreneur based in Kasoa, expressed his interest in travelling abroad in November 2024 and contacted the accused, who introduced himself as a travel and tour agent capable of securing Schengen visas.
Kankam allegedly demanded €4,000 from each of five persons, including the complainant, and provided his CalBank account details for payments.
The complainant subsequently paid a total of GH¢388,621 through direct deposits and cash, part of which was also transferred to Nti in Nigeria.
Investigations revealed that after collecting the money, Kankam and his accomplice took the complainant and four others to Nigeria, where they were issued visas purportedly for travel to France.
However, upon arrival at Lagos Airport, the visas were declared fake, leading to their arrest and detention before being released and repatriated to Ghana.
The complainant later lodged a report at the Holy Gardens Police Station, leading to Kankam’s arrest with assistance from the Kumasi Central Police.
During investigations, the accused admitted the offence and refunded GH¢120,000.
The prosecution indicated that investigations had been completed, and charges were accordingly preferred against him.
