Businessman remanded for visa fraud

Agona Swedru, Dec 17, GNA - An Agona Swedru Circuit Court presided over by Mr Charles Adjei Wilson has remanded Amos Baiden, a Swedru Businessman in prison custody to re-appear on December 22, 2004. Baiden appeared before the court for conspiring with others to defraud Nana Ekow Arhin, Managing Director of Rings Tour and Travel Company Limited, 338,570,000 Cedis under the pretext of securing visas for his clients.

Mr Adjei Wilson rejected Baiden's plea for bail on the grounds that the owners of the building documents the accused was using as surety failed to show up in court.

The accused had failed on three occasions to justify two sureties on a 500 million-cedi bail granted him by the court.

The Judge said that the court wanted to offer the accused bail, but noted that at least one of the three people holding the power of attorney to the documents had to be identified in the open court. Detective Sergeant R A Boamah told the court that apart from failing to justify surety for bail on three different sittings, the accused produced fake documents on the first and second occasions.

He said about three month ago, Baiden went to Nana Arhin to introduce one Yaw Awusi as his brother who was a Special Assistant at the Protocol Section of the Office of the President at the Castle, Osu. According to the prosecution the accused and his brother succeeded in collecting the amount from Nana Arhin to secure visas for his clients within the shortest possible time.

However, when the visas were delivered to Nana Arhin's clients and were found not to be genuine Awusi went into hiding. .