An Accra Circuit Court has remanded an unemployed man, Vincent Apetor, into lawful custody after he admitted to fraudulently spending GH¢114,000 that had been entrusted to him for a planned trip to the Netherlands.
Apetor pleaded guilty to a charge of fraudulent breach of trust and is expected to reappear before the court on July 8, 2026, for sentencing. Police have so far recovered GH¢35,000 from him, while GH¢79,000 remains outstanding.
Presenting the facts before the court, Inspector Frank Morgan Dorvi said the complainant, a secretary living at Ablekuma in Accra, was in a romantic relationship with Apetor, who resided at Bubuashie-Atico. At the time of the incident, the two were living together and had planned to travel to Holland.
The prosecution explained that the couple engaged the services of a travel agent identified as Razak to facilitate their visa applications. As part of the process, the agent advised them to increase the balance in their bank account to strengthen their financial profile and improve their chances of obtaining visas.
Because Apetor was unemployed, the complainant secured a loan from a relative to raise the required funds. Between September 24, 2024, and February 17, 2025, she deposited money into Apetor’s Ecobank account. She also handed over portions of the funds to Apetor and other individuals to deposit into the same account, bringing the total amount to GH¢114,000.
However, the court heard that Apetor secretly acquired an ATM card linked to the account and, over several months, withdrew the entire amount without informing the complainant. To conceal the withdrawals, he allegedly obtained a cheque book for the account and hid it in their room.
Since the complainant occasionally checked the unused cheque book, she believed the money remained untouched.
The prosecution further stated that Apetor later obtained a bank statement from the account to support his visa application. Despite this, the visa application was rejected due to errors in the application forms.
The alleged fraud came to light when the complainant requested the return of the GH¢114,000 and discovered that the funds had already been withdrawn and spent. She subsequently reported the matter to the Police in August 2025, leading to Apetor’s arrest.
During investigations, Apetor admitted to the offence and confessed that he had spent most of the money on football betting, where he lost the funds. Police later recovered GH¢35,000 from him, but GH¢79,000 remains unpaid as the court prepares to sentence him.
