A travel agent was yesterday granted bail after she was charged with intent to defraud a Nigerian of over $600,000 that was to be used to purchase a return plane ticket.
Adriana Onoja, 27, of Lot 290 Section A, Block X Diamond, East Bank Demerara, was read a charge by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, which alleged that between October 10 and November 1, at Georgetown, with intent to defraud, she obtained from Ojooko Konoke, $630,000, by falsely pretending to him that she was in the position to get him a two-way ticket from Lagos, Nigeria to Georgetown, Guyana knowing same to be false. Onoja of Delight Travel Services, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Police Prosecutor Simone Payne who did not object to Onoja receiving bail, told the court that the virtual complainant, who knows the accused, went to her on October 10 to purchase a two-way ticket for his brother who wanted to travel from Nigeria to Guyana.
According to the prosecutor the virtual complainant’s brother did not get on the flight since the ticket that was bought was one-way only. Payne said the complainant returned to the accused to make the ticket two-way so that his brother could board the flight in Nigeria, but when he attempted to board a new flight he was denied. Payne said the virtual complainant related all of this to the accused and requested a refund.
Meanwhile, according to Onoja, the virtual complainant did not pay for the return ticket the first time he went to her, but she had issued an open return ticket for him.
The defendant explained that when she contacted the authorities in Nigeria, she was told that the ticket was not the problem but Konoke’s brother’s passport.
Onoja also told the court that it was company policy that the money for airfares was non-refundable.
Chief Magistrate McLennan subsequently granted Onoja $75,000 bail and ordered that she report to the Diamond/ Grove Police Station every Friday. The matter was adjourned until January 16, 2017.
