2 arrested for forging WASSCE certificates

Two persons have been arrested for allegedly printing and issuing forged certificates of the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) to people.

The suspects are Joseph Kwasi Essien, a teacher of the SDA Junior High School at Bechem and Boniface Kwamena Bissue, unemployed.

They were arrested after they had attempted to sell a forged certificate to a policewomen at Bechem on January 29, 2014.

Essien is said to have been printing the forged certificates for the past two years and at the time of his arrest he had three forged certificates in his possession.

Additionally, a computer and a toner HP21 were retrieved from the Combine Force Printing Press where the certificates were printed.

The certificates bore the names Karim Mariam, Robert Dzokoto and Winifred Owusu Yeboah.

The acting Controller of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) in charge of the Brong Ahafo Region, Mr Ernest Akyea-Mensah, told the Daily Graphic in an interview that on Sunday, January 26, 2014, he had a call from an unknown person that some people at Bechem were printing forged WAEC certificates.

Investigation

He said on January 27, 2014, he reported the case at the Brong Ahafo Regional Police Headquarters, after which three police officers from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) were instructed to go to Bechem and investigate the report.

Mr Akyea-Mensah explained that one of the police officers, a woman, posed as someone looking for a WAEC certificate to buy.

When the police got to Bechem, the policewoman called Essien on his mobile phone and he agreed to produce the WAEC certificate for her to buy.

At Essien’s request, the woman bought a toner at GH¢60 for the printing of the certificate, after which she was asked by the suspect to come for the certificate on January 29, 2014.

Arrest

He said when the lady went to collect the certificate, Essien was arrested.

When contacted, the Brong Ahafo Regional Police corroborated the story.

According to the Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mr Christopher Tawiah, in the course of investigations, Essien was identified to the police.

He said Essien led the police to arrest his accomplice, Bissue.

During investigations, the suspect was said to have confessed to the crime and gave a statement to that effect.

–Daily Graphic