A 22-year-old Ghanaian, Jefferson Zormelo, has been sentenced to two years in prison in Canada for using a fraudulent Canadian passport to travel into and out of the country 16 times.
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 the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the judge said the offence undermined the integrity of Canada’s citizenship system and warned that fraudulent passports could threaten public safety and national security while damaging the country’s international reputation.
Zormelo, who moved to Canada in 2021 on a study permit, came under immigration scrutiny in 2024 after officials discovered he was no longer attending school. An exclusion order was subsequently issued for his removal from the country.
Court documents revealed that he later obtained several identification documents, including proof of Canadian citizenship, using a false identity.
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