- Woman Remanded for Visa Fraud
- Allegedly Defrauded Insurance Officer of GH¢265,000
- Court Denies Bail Due to Previous Offences
Faustina Foli, a 45-year-old unemployed woman, has been remanded into police custody by an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly defrauding an insurance officer of GH¢265,000. Foli is accused of deceiving the complainant by promising to secure a United States visa and three Canadian visas but failing to deliver.
She has been charged with defrauding by false pretences and has pleaded not guilty. The court, presided over by Isaac Addo, rejected a bail application made by the defence counsel, Chris Akummey, after the prosecution opposed it, citing Foli’s history of jumping bail and committing the same offence while on bail.
The prosecution also pointed out that Foli had provided conflicting addresses and had previously absconded while facing similar charges. In response, Mr Akummey requested the court to reconsider the bail application, denying the accusation that Foli was Togolese and stating that she was a native of the Volta Region with family members present in court.
Mr Akummey argued that Foli had committed the offence without fully understanding its consequences. “I am on bended knees praying for bail because my client has been in custody for more than 10 days,” he pleaded.
According to the prosecution’s case, the complainant, Daniel Acquay, an insurance officer, became involved in the fraudulent scheme after Foli approached him in October 2024, claiming that her fiancé worked at the Canadian High Commission and could facilitate the issuance of visas at a reduced cost.
Foli showed Acquay copies of Canadian visas, which she claimed were obtained by her fiancé for other applicants. Convinced by this, Acquay handed over various sums of money totalling GH¢265,000 to Foli for the visas. However, after receiving the money and passports, Foli went into hiding, and all attempts to reach her proved unsuccessful.
Suspecting fraud, Acquay reported the matter to the police. In her caution statement, Foli admitted to collecting the money, stating that she had been instructed by her fiancé to give the funds to one “Kojo.” However, Foli failed to provide the police with useful information about Kojo to aid their investigation.
The prosecution is extending its investigation to the Canadian High Commission to verify whether Foli’s fiancé is employed there. Additionally, Foli had initially claimed to be a Togolese national, but a Ghana Card was found on her, and it was discovered that she did not have a fixed address. The case was adjourned to December 24, 2024.
