7 convicted for impersonation during 2020 WASSCE

Seven people have been convicted by the Agona Swedur Magistrate Court for impersonation in the 2020 West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). The seven made of two administrators and two teachers, as well as three students, were given various degrees of punishments for their involvement in the act by the Magistrate of the court on July 21, 2021.

Georgin Danso, Desmond Oduro and David Bawah, all second-year students of the Ngleshie Amanfrom SHS in the Greater Accra Region,  were fined GH¢1,200 each and barred from taking part in any WASSCE for three years.

Osman Ahmed and Clement Sarfo, an administrator and teacher respectively of the Central High School at Agona Swedru, were fined GH¢1,200 each. Cedric Sefah Akyeampong, also a teacher at Central High School was fined GH¢2,400.

 A teacher at Ngleshie Amanfrom SHS, Richard Nkrumah who is also the Assistant Headmaster of Central High School, was sentenced to six months imprisonment.

All convicts initially pleaded not guilty to the charges of impersonation and abetment to commit a crime but were all found guilty at the end of the trial and accordingly sentenced by the court.

 Before passing his judgment, Mr Isaac Apeatu, the magistrate, said what the convicts did was wrong and their conviction was to serve as a deterrent to others who might plan involving in similar acts.

Facts of the case

The facts of the case as presented by Inspector Chare N. Salia were that on Monday, August 17, 2020, when the final year SHS students were writing the WASSCE, a team of West African Examinations Council (WAEC) officials, led by Mr George Agyekum, the complainant, were going around the various Senior High Schools within Agona Swedru and its environs to check the conduct of the examination.

He said Coffie Boakye Nana Yaw, Clement Sarfo, David Bawah, Georgin Danso and Desmond Oduro who were writing the examination, mentioned their index numbers upon enquiries.

However, a check from the verification machine revealed that Coffie Boakye Nana Yaw had impersonated Hotor Saviour, Clement Sarfo impersonated Tetteh-Courtnay Clinton Larry, Bawah David impersonated John Faati, Georgin Danso impersonated Odamatey Father Justice Nii Laryea and Desmond Oduro impersonated Coffie Boakye Nana Yaw.

Admission of offence

Inspector Salia said they were arrested and during interrogation Ahmed, Sarfo, Bawah, Danso and Oduro stated that it was Richard Nkrumah and Cedric Sefah Akyeampong who contracted them to impersonate Hotor Saviour, Tetteh-Courtnay Clinton Larry, John Faati, Odamatey Father Justice Nii Laryea and Coffie Boakye Nana Yaw to write the WASSCE Core subjects for them.

He added that on August 3, 2020, they successfully wrote Integrated Science and wrote Social Studies on August 17, 2020. After writing paper two of Core Mathematics, they were arrested while in the process of writing paper one of Core Mathematics.

The prosecutor stated that on August 20, 2020, Nkrumah and Sefah Acheampong who were at large were arrested and they admitted to the offence in their caution statement.

By: Stella Annan | myactiveonline.com Twitter @activetvgh

Author