Two Individuals Acquitted in GHC60,380 Fraud Case in Accra

ACCRA: An Accra Circuit Court has acquitted and discharged Silvia Naa Doudu Wristberg and Nicodemus Quarshie, who stood accused of defrauding a businessman of GHC60,380. The court, presided over by Mr. Isaac Addo, concluded that the prosecution failed to establish its case beyond a reasonable doubt, leading to the defendants' clearance of charges related to conspiracy and defrauding by false pretenses.According to Ghana News Agency, the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Jonas Lawer, presented two witnesses to support their case, but the court deemed the evidence insufficient. The defendants testified in their defense but did not call any additional witnesses. Silvia Wristberg, an unemployed woman, and Nicodemus Quarshie, a radio presenter, were initially accused alongside a third individual, Patrick Torto, who remains at large.The case involved Justice Kofi Buah, a travel and tour operator from Spintex in the Greater Accra Region, who was allegedly defrauded in March 2023. The prosecution's case claimed that Torto and Quarshie approached Buah, introducing themselves as protocol officers able to secure Canadian visas for his clients. Wristberg further bolstered their credibility by claiming to be an aide to the First Lady of Ghana.The accused demanded and collected GHC7,764 as visa and work permit fees for 12 applicants and obtained 18 passports, purportedly to facilitate the visa process. In total, the three accused individuals collected GHC60,380 in cash and mobile money transfers in Wristberg's name. However, the promise of secured visas proved false when Buah visited the Office of the President Annex in Ridge and discovered the accused had provided false identities.Further investigation placed the accused on the national security and Ministry of Foreign Affairs' wanted lists for similar fraudulent activities. Wristberg was arrested in Cape Coast, while Torto managed to evade capture. Buah identified Wristberg and Quarshie as the fraud's perpetrators, but the court ultimately found the evidence against them lacking.