The popular Ghanaian actor and commedian, Kofi Adu, known in movie circles as Agya Koo has refunded GHȻ2,000 as part payment to Mr Stephen Kwarteng, who has accused him of fraud.
Agya Koo, who has been accused of defrauding Stephen Kwarteng under the pretext of obtaining him visa to travel abroad made the payment in court when the case was called Tuesday.
The case resumed on Tuesday to enable the prosecution to correct defects on the charge sheet.
However, the court could not immediately reconcile the balance of $1,000 to be paid to the complainant and gave lawyers of the accused person a month to reconcile the amount and then come back to court.
The case was adjourned to January 31, 2013.
Though Kofi Adu was granted bail on Monday his charges were again read out to him. He pleaded not guilty.
His lead counsel, Mr Joseph Turkson, who pleaded for bail said there was a transaction between his client and the complainant and that if his client failed to fulfill his part of the contract the proper thing for him to do was to refund the money which they were ready to do.
Ms Naomi Nelson Kwofie, who represented Captain Nkrabeah Effah-Darteh (retd), Counsel for Kofi Adu, also pleaded with the court to grant him bail since her client had met the bail conditions.
Wearing a white T-shirt over black trousers, Kofi Adu looked calm in the dock.
He has been charged with three counts of attempt to commit crime, migrant smuggling and fraud.
The Prosecutor, DSP Mary L. Agbozo said on March 8, 2011 at Tabora in Accra and Kumasi in the Greater Accra Circuit and within the jurisdiction of the court, Kofi Adu attempted to unlawfully migrate Stephen Kwarteng by facilitating his departure to the USA by collecting GHȻ2,170 and $1,000 respectively from him.
The prosecution said the facts of the case were that, the complainant was a trader who has a sister living in the USA.
It said the complainant had the desire to visit the sister and discussed with a friend who led him to Kofi Adu at Alhaji Tabora, a suburb of Accra.
The accused person was said to have confirmed his ability to assist the complainant to travel to the USA and sited instances which the complainant believed.
The prosecutor said the accused person charged the complainant a fee of $10,000 covering visa, work permit and a return air ticket and asked the complainant to make advance payment of $850 as processing fee and also paid $1000 as part payment of fee charged.
The accused person then called the complainant to bring the money to him in Kumasi which he did.
Afterwards, the accused took the complainant together with ten other people to the US Embassy in Accra and assured him he would get the visa.
But while the complainant was waiting at the Embassy the accused sneaked out of the premises and rather called on telephone later on for them to meet him at Busy Internet near the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
Upon meeting them he gave them excuses in relation to his inability to secure the visa.
After a series of excuses from the accused since 2011, the complaint got fed up and became apprehensive. The accused later told the complainant he would secure an Australian visa for him and demanded an additional GHȻ1150 but failed to honour that one too.
The complainant severally demanded for a refund of his money but the accused offered excuses.
On January 8, 2013 however, a report was lodged with the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit at the CID Headquarters and the accused was invited through telephone but failed to turn up.
The police again called him on January 18, 2013 and he reported and was subsequently arrested on warrant, detained and charged with the offence after investigations.
Source: DailyGraphic
THIS SHOULD BE A WAKE UP CALL FOR ANYONE WHO PAYS MONEY TO SOMEONE UNDER THE PRETEXT OF SECURING VISA TO ABROAD. SUCH PEOPLE ALSO MUST BE ARRESTED AND CHARGED FOR ABETMENT.