A 22-year-old Ghanaian, Jefferson Zormelo, has been sentenced to two years in prison in Canada after using a fraudulent Canadian passport to enter and leave the country 16 times over 15 months.
Zormelo was sentenced on Monday, November 9, 2026, by Justice Karen Molle in Calgary, Alberta, after pleading guilty earlier this year to an offence under the Canadian Citizenship Act.
According to a report by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the judge said his actions undermined the integrity of Canada’s citizenship system and raised concerns about public safety and national security.
She warned that the use of fraudulent Canadian travel documents could also damage the country’s international reputation.
Following an allowance for time already spent in custody since his arrest, Zormelo is expected to serve approximately 14 more months in prison.
Zormelo moved to Canada in 2021 on a study permit. However, immigration authorities discovered in 2024 that he was no longer attending school and subsequently issued an exclusion order for his removal from the country.
Court documents indicated that he later obtained several identification documents, including proof of Canadian citizenship, by assuming a false identity.
In December 2024, he secured a Canadian passport under the name Mitchell Leblanc, which he subsequently used to travel in and out of the country on 16 occasions.
His movements took him through international airports in Montreal, Toronto and Halifax over the following 15 months.
The fraud was eventually uncovered in April 2026 when officers of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) arrested him in Calgary.
His arrest followed an incident at the United States Consulate, where he presented a fraudulent permanent resident card bearing the Leblanc identity to officials.
A subsequent search of his hotel room uncovered the fake Canadian passport and other items linked to the fraudulent identity.
During the sentencing hearing, prosecutor Tyler Lord urged the court to impose a five-year prison sentence, citing the seriousness of the offence.
However, Zormelo’s lawyer, Devin Frank, appealed for leniency, arguing that his client should receive a sentence equivalent to the time he had already spent in custody.
The defence also pointed to the difficult circumstances of Zormelo’s upbringing in Ghana, including poverty and abuse, as factors the court should consider.
In her ruling, Justice Molle acknowledged that Zormelo had been desperate to establish a life and secure employment in Canada.
However, she maintained that the seriousness of the offence, particularly the level of planning and sophistication involved, could not be overlooked.
Describing the operation as elaborate, she cautioned against individuals using their intelligence to execute complex criminal schemes.
“Clever criminals pose a greater risk to public safety,” she said.
The development comes at a time when the Minority in Parliament has presented what it describes as bank deposit receipts and mobile money transaction records allegedly linking an agent to payments for Ghanaian Diplomatic and Service Passports.
The documents, according to the Minority, provide evidence of financial transactions made in connection with an alleged passport-selling operation involving officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Passport Office.
Speaking at a press conference in Parliament on Sunday, November 8, 2026, the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, identified Bright Yeboah Owusu as the alleged recipient of payments made on behalf of individuals connected to the operation.
Among the documents displayed by the NPP minority were two GCB Bank cash deposit receipts dated June 15 and June 24, 2026, alongside mobile money transaction records, including payments made on June 24.
Abu Jinapor said the individuals who provided the records claimed the money was paid to secure Diplomatic and Service Passports, as well as travel arrangements promised by the alleged operators.
