Soldier, others attempting to immigrate to Canada defrauded in GH 139,000 scam case by caterer

A 41-year-old caterer appears in front of an Accra Circuit Court on accusations of defrauding under false pretences and forging papers in relation to a case where she reportedly conned some people seeking passage to Canada.

According to a story by The Chronicle newspaper, one of the persons Bernice Naa Adjeley Anum scammed was a soldier.

According to the report, Bernice reportedly defrauded the soldier of GH 139,000 on the pretence that she would obtain a visa for him to travel to Canada as well as a work permit.

The soldier (name withheld), according to the report, was informed by Bernice Adjeley Anum that all of his travel paperwork would be ready 17 days after she started the procedure.

She also assured him that she would pick him up and take him to the airport on his departure day.

According to the story, this happened after she slept at a hotel as she waited to leave the country.

However, when the soldier and a few others received the paperwork Bernice Anum had prepared for them, they understood the visas and work permits in their passports were a hoax.

When the soldier became aware of what had occurred, it is said that he reported it to the police, and as a result, the caterer was detained and prosecuted at the Accra Circuit Court.

The accused entered a not guilty plea to the allegations against her in court and was given a GH50,000 bond with two sureties.

The accused, Bernice Adjeley Anum, also lived in the same neighbourhood as the soldier, according to Chief Inspector Daniel Danku, who presented the case’s facts in court. The soldier was assigned to the Ghana Military Academy and Training School in Teshie.

According to the investigation, Bernice solicited the soldier’s payment of GH139,000 on February 9 with the assurance that she would arrange for his travel documents to Canada, including a work permit.

Additionally, she gave him the assurance that his paperwork will be done by February 26, 2023.

The accused agreed to the crime when being questioned by police after being apprehended, according to the prosecution, naming a particular Kate Acheampong from the United Kingdom as her accomplice.

The prosecution informed the jury that it had been unable to locate the aforementioned accomplice.

The article further stated that the case has subsequently been postponed until June 26, 2023.