A DISTRICT Magistrate Court at Asante Bekwai has convicted a teacher, Eric Bismarck Kwaku Agbovi, for examination fraud in the ongoing WASSCE NOV/DEC examination.
Kwaku Agbovi, a teacher at Faith Baptist School at Medina in Accra, was sentenced to pay a fine of GH¢1,200 or serve a three-month jail term in default. He was also bonded to be of good behaviour for two years or serve another three months in jail.
Besides, the court presided over by Nana Fobi Ansah banned the convict from taking any West African Examinations Council’s (WAEC’s) exams for three years after he had pleaded guilty to illegal possession of solved examination questions and having fore knowledge of the content of an exam paper, contrary to section 3 (A&B) of Act 719/2006 of WAEC regulation.
Police prosecutor, Detective Inspector Stephen Ofori, informed the court that the complainant is a principal registrar of WAEC, whilst the convict is a teacher at Faith Baptist School in Accra.
On September 24, 2018, he narrated that Eric Bismarck Kwaku Agbovi approached a supervisor of WASSCE NOV/DEC exams at Bekwai SDA Senior High School, Peter Boateng, and told him that he (Agbovi) was an official of WAEC.
The prosecutor said Agbovi offered the said supervisor a deal to insert some worked scripts of Elective Mathematics for two candidates namely Thompson Nana Aba Asuamah and Mockshel Evangelina.
Inspector Ofori disclosed that the supervisor quickly informed the deport keeper of WAEC at Bekwai about the offer who asked him to accept for them to put the convict under surveillance.
He asserted that the convict approached the supervisor the following day with an examination answer booklet containing solved questions of the Elective Mathematics to effect the transaction as agreed earlier.
The supervisor handed over the solved questions to the complainant, who immediately caused the arrest of Agbovi.
He was charged with the offence and arraigned after police investigations.
Meanwhile, the court has convicted and sentenced two persons, Francis Antwi, an unemployed, and Joseph Mensah, a student, to pay a fine of GH¢900 each for engaging in a similar offence –examination fraud.
On September 25, 2018, at Oppong Memorial Senior High School at Kokofu, Francis went to the examination hall to impersonate Joseph Mensah, a candidate, with the intention of taking the Elective Mathematics paper for him.
Detective Inspector Ofori said about 9:00am on the said date, officials of WAEC, who were on routine inspection, came across Francis taking the paper with index number 1059519621.
Upon verification, it became obvious that he was not the person duly registered for the exam; rather it was Joseph Mensah whose photograph corresponded to the index number.
The police prosecutor narrated that Francis confessed that he was doing the paper for and on behalf of the second convict.
He was arrested and led police to apprehend Joseph Mensah. Both were charged and arraigned to answer two counts of impersonation and abetment of impersonation.
From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi