Accra Circuit Court hears case of travel agent accused of visa fraud

A 48-year-old travel agent, Joseph Hammond, has appeared before the Accra Circuit Court for allegedly defrauding a woman and her three children of $15,500 and GHC204,220 under the pretext of securing Canadian and United States visas.

Hammond, based in James Town, Accra, is accused of collecting the money and four passports from the complainant, Veronica Crentsil, in 2022, but failed to deliver the promised visas and subsequently went into hiding.

He faces three counts of defrauding by false pretences, forging travel documents, and two counts of possessing forged documents. Hammond pleaded not guilty.

Presiding Judge Mrs Evelyn Asamoah granted Hammond GHC500,000 bail with four sureties, two of whom must justify with title deeds. The case has been adjourned to December 9, 2025.

Chief Inspector Clemence Takyi, representing the prosecution, stated that Hammond misrepresented himself as a professional capable of securing visas abroad. He allegedly instructed the complainant to pay the visa processing fees into a GCB Bank account belonging to his business, J’HAMM’s Business Consultancy.

After receiving the funds, Hammond reportedly failed to honour his promise, and several attempts by the complainant to recover her money or passports proved unsuccessful. He was arrested on October 29, 2025, at his hideout in Adedenkpo, near James Town.

Investigations also revealed that Hammond had allegedly defrauded other victims, mostly women, under similar pretences. During his arrest, he attempted to escape using a ladder he had kept behind his house, intended as an escape route. A search of his residence uncovered nine passports, including those of the complainant and her children.