Four persons arrested for visa fraud

Accused in Asamankese Murder case remanded

Accra (Greater Accra) 11 Feb. 2000

The Osu police have arrested four persons in connection with an American visa fraud.

They are: Adam Saeed Watara, 29, Managing Director of Sawatara Global Destination, Ganiyu Ibrahim, 20, an errand boy of Sawatara, Helen Mamine Osae, from Wa, and Jerry Hanson Gbedepe, 17, a student.

A source at the Osu police station told reporters in Accra on Thursday that Mr Michael Shimmel, Director of the U.S. embassy in Ghana, received several telephone calls from one Dr Brenya last year, who said he was saying 'hello' to him.

The said Dr Brenya, who sent some gifts to the Counsellor during the Christmas season, managed to build some confidence in the director.

He called again to ask him to assist his friend, Mr Eric Odoi Anim whom, he said, works with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs whom he claimed was on transfer to Canada, to acquire a visa for his wife.

Mr Shimmel obliged and requested for the necessary documents to be processed for the visa.

On 4 January, this year, Mr Shimmel attended a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he met Mr Anim, who denied being on transfer to Canada.

The embassy, suspecting fraud, conducted a thorough investigation into the matter, which revealed that Mr Anin had been impersonated.

Watara, who had posed as Dr Brenya, again called and asked for a visa for his son, Jerry Hanson Gbedepe.

Gbedepe was interviewed at the embassy and given a date to come for his visa, but sensing danger, he never showed up.

The counsellor then invited Madam Mamine, who had posed as Anim's wife, to come to the embassy for her visa and documents. She went there in the company of Ibrahim.

When Mamine was questioned about how genuine her documents were, she was terrified and revealed that she knew nothing about the fake documents and that she was only asked to collect her visa at the embassy.

She was arrested together with Ibrahim and Watara but Gbedepe is still on the run.

Watara has been charged with impersonation, Mamine with the uttering of forged documents while Ibrahim is charged with abetment.

The three are now on police enquiry bail.

GRi../

Asamankese, (Eastern Region) 11 Feb 2000

Eric Osei and Kwadwo Yeboah charged with the murder of their 75 year-old aunt, Madam Florence Hammond, were remanded in custody to reappear on March three, when they made their second appearance before an Asamankese circuit court on Wednesday.

Adwoa Nyamekye, a maid of Madam Hammond, charged with the two was, however, granted a two million cedis bail with one surety.

When Mr S. S. Appiah, the judge, asked them why they killed their aunt, Osei and Yeboah denied committing the offence.

Nyamekye, however, said the two banged at the gate and she opened it and while Osei entered Madam Hammond's room, Yeboah put some medicine into her (Nyamekye's) eyes and nostrils after holding her.

She said when she woke up the next morning she found the decease butchered and lying in a pool of blood.

GRi../