Three jailed for issuing fake driving licenses

Three members of a syndicate that has been faking documents of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) have been sentenced to a total of six years imprisonment by a Kumasi Circuit Court.

Jamila Ibrahim and Hazaifa Yunus, both graphic designers, and Toffick Abdul-Wahab, a computer student, had been arrested for issuing fake temporal driving licenses to unsuspecting drivers.

They are each going in for two years.

They were charged with conspiracy and forging official documents and pleaded not guilty.

Anthony Yiyugsag, who stood trial with them for possessing forged documents, was ordered to pay a fine of GH¢200.00.

A State Attorney, Emmanuel Lawrence Kwadjo Otoo-Boison, told the court presided over by Justice Emmanuel Amo-Yartey that the three, work at a communication centre at Aboabo in Kumasi.

He said they were arrested on June 2, last year, following the detection of a fake driving license presented to DVLA’s office for renewal by an applicant.

He said the police found on them scanned forms of the authority on their pen drive and receipts from The Trust Bank (TTB) on their computer.

The prosecution had pleaded with the court for stiffer punishment to serve as deterrent to others engaged in the practice.

Justice Amo-Yartey, passing the sentence, said their activities had not only denied the state of revenue but also pushed unqualified drivers on the roads, causing mayhem.

He said he was, however, mindful of their ages and the fact that they were first time offenders.**