An Accra Central District Court has fined an Accra-Cote d’Ivoire commercial bus driver for forging a Fidelity bank statement to obtain a Schengen visa from the German Embassy in Accra.
Emmanuel Kwaku Asare, a resident of Mamprobi was arrested on November 15, 2017 when he presented the fake bank statement at the embassy to secure the visa to travel to European countries in the Schengen area.
The prosecution, led by Detective Sergeant Rose Animah, told the court that the officials at the German Embassy in Accra detected the forged statement and subsequently caused the arrest of the accused person.
He was arraigned before the court on charges of forgery of document and possessing forged documents.
He pleaded guilty to the two charges and was convicted on his own plea.
The court, presided over by Ebenezer Kweku Ansah, fined the accused 100 penalty units, equivalent to GH?1,200 or in default serve two months in prison.
The convict also signed a bond to be of good behaviour in the next 12 months or in default serve a two-month jail term.
According to the judge, people with genuine plans and bank statements struggle to obtain visas due to the activities of people like the convict who present fake bank statements at embassies and high commissions in the country.
He said the fine would serve as deterrent to others who have the intention of using forged bank statements to obtain visas.
By Gibril Abdul Razak