- Nautical engineer jailed 60 days for fraud
- Richie Susu Awu defrauded three persons of GH₵86,000
- Awu failed to secure German visas for victims
A 56-year-old nautical engineer, Richie Susu Awu, has been sentenced to 60 days in prison by an Accra Circuit Court after being found guilty on three counts of defrauding by false pretenses.
Awu was convicted for collecting a total of GH₵86,000 from three individuals under the false pretense of securing German visas for them in 2021. The sentences for each count will run concurrently.
Delivering the sentence, trial judge Mr. Isaac Addo noted that he considered Awu’s status as a first-time offender and the fact that he had refunded GH₵30,000 to the three complainants. However, he emphasized the rise in visa fraud cases within the jurisdiction and the calculated manner in which Awu executed his fraudulent plan.
“The court looked at the ascendency of visa fraud cases within its jurisdiction and the premeditated way the accused executed his plan,” said Mr. Addo.
The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Jonas Lawer, called five witnesses to establish their case, while Awu did not present any witnesses after testifying on his own behalf. The complainants, who were from Sefwi, had met Awu in Accra after being introduced to him as someone who could help them secure visas to travel to Germany.
The first complainant, Jackson Mensah, a Mobile Money agent, the second, Ernest Opoku, a farmer, and the third, Kwarteng Kwasi Cyprin, an unemployed man, had been linked to Awu through a mutual connection named Baffour. In October 2021, Mensah, seeking to travel abroad, had spoken to his brother-in-law, Kenneth Biney, who connected him to Baffour, who then introduced Awu.
Awu, who met the complainants in Achimota, showed them visas he claimed to have obtained for others and assured them he could secure similar visas. After charging them fees of GH₵24,000, GH₵24,000, and GH₵30,400 respectively, he promised to secure their visas within three weeks.
However, Awu failed to deliver on his promise, repeatedly assuring the complainants that “everything will be fine.” On February 25, 2022, he took the complainants to the Kotoka International Airport, claiming they were scheduled to depart for Germany. After waiting for some time, he told them they had missed their flight and promised to reschedule their departure for another day.
Suspicious, the complainants reported the case to the police, and on March 4, 2022, Awu was arrested. In his caution statement, he admitted to taking the money but failing to secure the visas. Although he was granted police enquiry bail, Awu failed to cooperate with the police and subsequently jumped bail.
Further investigation revealed that Awu had been arrested for a similar offense at the Tesano Police Station.
