Dansoman court grants businessman GH¢50k bail over alleged Visa fraud
By DL News
Published
1 min read
The case, presided over by Her Honour Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Baasit, involves accusations that Page defrauded Riffkin Aduko, a phone accessories dealer, of GH¢59,000 under the pretext of securing a Canadian visa.
A 41-year-old businessman, Michael Tetteh Page, has been granted GH¢50,000 bail with three justified sureties by the Dansoman Circuit Court, following his arraignment on charges of defrauding by false pretense and forgery of an official document.
The case, presided over by Her Honour Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Baasit, involves accusations that Page defrauded Riffkin Aduko, a phone accessories dealer, of GH¢59,000 under the pretext of securing a Canadian visa.
According to the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Kwadwo Aboagye, the alleged fraud began in January 2023, when Aduko was introduced to the accused through a mutual contact known only as “Mr. Amo” or “Black Panther.”
Page reportedly posed as a visa agent and received GH¢25,000 as a commitment fee, later demanding US$10,000 upon delivery of the visa. When the promised visa failed to materialize, Page allegedly asked for an additional GH¢44,000 in November 2024 to initiate a new application process—an amount that the complainant also paid.
After a long period of silence, Page sent Aduko a supposed Canadian visa via WhatsApp, followed by a demand for another GH¢76,000. Aduko refused further payment and insisted on verifying the visa first.
Subsequent investigations revealed that the visa document (No. E775559571) was forged, and the Ghana Immigration Service confirmed it was not valid for travel.
Page reportedly admitted to receiving the money and has refunded GH¢10,000 to date.
He pleaded not guilty to two counts of defrauding by false pretense under Section 131(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), and one count of forgery of an official document under Section 158 of the same law.
Granting bail under Article 19(2)(c) of the 1992 Constitution, the court ordered the accused to deposit his Ghana Card at the registry and report to the police every two weeks.
The case has been adjourned to September 1, 2025, for a Case Management Conference (CMC), with prosecutors directed to file all disclosures and witness statements before the next hearing.
