Omanghana
The Nsuta Circuit Court in the Ashanti Region has sentenced a 32-year-old junior pastor, Stephen Yaw Gyamfi, to 10 years in prison for defrauding a teacher of GH¢78,800 through a fraudulent overseas employment scheme.
Gyamfi, a preacher at the Blessed Gate Worship Centre in Mim in the Ahafo Region, pleaded guilty to the charge of defrauding by false pretenses.
Presiding judge Simon Nketiah Gagah handed down the sentence on Friday, August 7, 2026. The court said the punishment was intended to deter others from engaging in travel and employment fraud.
The case began in January 2025 when a colleague introduced 41-year-old teacher Abigail Darkwah to Gyamfi. The colleague allegedly presented the pastor as someone capable of securing a well-paid teaching job for her in Malaysia.
Gyamfi initially demanded GH¢73,100, reportedly equivalent to $4,300 at the time, to cover visa processing and airfare. Trusting his representations, the teacher paid the requested amount.
The pastor subsequently demanded another GH¢3,800 for a purported hotel reservation and GH¢1,900 for travel insurance. These additional payments brought the total amount collected from the victim to GH¢78,800.
After receiving the final payment, Gyamfi allegedly stopped communicating with Darkwah and disappeared. All attempts to reach him reportedly proved unsuccessful.
Darkwah later discovered that the promised teaching position did not exist and reported the matter to the Regional Criminal Investigations Department in Mampong.
Police subsequently launched a search for Gyamfi and tracked him to Mim, where he had reportedly been hiding. He was arrested on June 22, 2026, and later placed before the Nsuta Circuit Court.
During the proceedings, the court gave Gyamfi an opportunity to refund the money taken from the teacher. He was, however, able to repay only GH¢10,000, leaving an outstanding balance of GH¢68,800.
The court ordered that the recovered GH¢10,000 be released immediately to Darkwah. It also advised her to pursue a civil action against Gyamfi to recover the remaining amount.
The conviction highlights continuing concerns about fraudulent travel and overseas employment schemes in Ghana. Victims are often persuaded to pay large sums for nonexistent visas, airline tickets and job placements before the perpetrators cut off communication.
Members of the public have repeatedly been encouraged to verify overseas employment opportunities through the appropriate government agencies and foreign missions before making payments to recruiters or intermediaries.
Source: Omanghana
