3 convicts at Ankaful Prison run fake online ‘Travel and Tour' business, dupe public 189,000.00

The High Court at Ho has jailed three convicts who operated a fake online travel tour company while serving their jail terms at the Ankaful Maximum Prison in the Central Region of Ghana.

The three who are Courage Bani, Samuel Ofori, and Bright Dzebu were sentenced to a 15-year jail term by the court presided over by Justice Charity Asem (Mrs).

Further to the above, the court directed the Minister of Interior to investigate how the mobile phone got into the hands of these convicts for use despite being under the supervision of Mr Essiam, Superintendent Ewusi, and DSP Mark Tawiah.

According to the facts presented by the prosecution, the three, who were serving a prison term at the Ankaful prison advertised their online company called Treasure Land Travel and Tour on Passion TV offering an opportunity to interested persons to apply for a visa to work in either the USA, Canada or UK.

The first complainant, Delida Antwi, a nurse after seeing the advert, followed up and called the first accused who posed as a lawyer to her on the phone leading to the demand and subsequent payment of GHC18,500.00 by her via the accused’s MTN number.

Delida also testified to the advert to four of her friends who also developed an interest. After contacting the first accused, the four others also transferred GHC 50,000, GHC 39, 500, GHC 40,000, and another GHC40,000 to aid their visa processing.

It was however after the printed Visas were found to be bearing the same serial numbers and certain features that the victims became suspicious leading to the complaint and the arrest of the three who were serving jail terms at the prison.

In her judgment, the presiding judge thus sentenced the first accused to 15 years IHL and the other two to 10 years IHL in prison after considering their words of mitigation. The sentences are to run concurrently.

Further to this, the first accused, Courage was sentenced additionally to 2 years in Hard Labour  Count 11 and ordered the three to refund the money involved upon serving their sentences.

Justice Asem thus commended Detective Chief Inspector Everton Kwao and Detective Sergent Joshua Ali for rejecting every conceivable pressure and attempt by the accused persons and their families to bribe them to destroy the case.

Also, the court directed the Minister for Interior to conduct an investigation into the modus operanda of the accused persons and exceptionally the conduct of DSP Mark Tawiah of the Ankaful Maximum Prison for granting the first accused permission to use his email address in opening an Ecobank account while serving a jail term.