13 people arrested for possessing fake certificates

Thirteen people including four women have been sentenced by a Circuit Court in Sunyani to a total fine of GH¢7,800 for possessing forged Diploma Certificate from the University of Cape Coast.

The convicts pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing fake document and forging of official document and were asked to pay a fine of GH¢ 6,000 each or in default serve two years imprisonment in hard labour.

They were Okai Boampong Kwadwo, 61, retired Teacher, Joseph Amankwona Diawuo,50, farmer, Thomas Dadzie Mensah,50, pupil teacher Felix Kofi Sie, 27, Joseph Kwadwo Kumi ,33, trader, Mohammed Agyei Baah Hassan, 29, unemployed, Phillip Kwabena Mensah,27,Unemployed.

The rest were Samuel Oppong, 27, unemployed, Agnes Yaa Dartey, 25, Gyabaah Doris, 30, Unemployed, Mary Yaa, Dongi, 30, Maanu Diana Adwoah, 28, Unemployed and Justice Issa Kwabena, 33, pupil teacher.

Police Chief Inspector Baafi, prosecuting told the court presided over by Ekow Mensah that the complainant is Adu Afram Bernard, Municipal Director of Education in the Dormaa Municipality.

He said the convicts except Diawuo together with other prospective applicants applied to the complainant out fit to be employed into the Ghana Education Service as teachers.

The prosecutor said they were invited by the complainant to his office to enable them go through the recruitment process and were asked to bring along their academic certificates, testimonies and identification cards for inspection and verification.

He stated the complainant on receipt of the document conducted an interview and written examination for the applicants since some of the certificates appeared not to be genuine.

Chief Baafi said after that exercise the complainant noticed that some of the convicted persons did not perform well though they claim to be graduates from the University of Cape Coast awarded with Diploma Certificate in Basic Education.

He said the complainant sent all the certificates to the Academic Affairs Division of the University to verify.

The Registrar of the University responded and confirmed that all the certificates were fake, compelling the complainant to alert the police about the matter.

The prosecutor said on February 28, when the convicts went to complainant office to know their fate they were arrested.

The convicts admitted the offences and confessed that that they received the certificates from Diawuo, after succeeding in collecting huge sums of money from them.

He said Diawuo on his arrest mentioned one Amponsah Jacob, now at large as the one who assisted in forging the certificates.

The prosecutor said the police are making efforts to arrest all those implicated in the case.