Two fined for possessing National Service Secretariat ID cards

Accra, Aug. 25, GNA - A student of Accra Polytechnic, who forged a student's identity card of a private educational institution and got posted as a National Service Personnel, was on Friday sentenced to a fine of 12 million cedis for stealing when he appeared before an Accra Circuit Court.

Edward Ocansey K. Narh, who forged the student identity card of Abaafon Institute of Technology in Accra, would in default serve a prison term of four years.

Narh, who was facing two additional charges of possessing forged documents and forging documents, was sentenced to a fine of 2.4 million cedis or 12 months' imprisonment in default for possessing forged documents and 7.2 million cedis or two years' imprisonment in default for forging documents.

With him in the dock was his brother, Ernest Ocansey, a farmer, who was also fined for possessing fake documents and stealing money totalling 6.4 million belonging to National Service Secretariat (NSS). The Court slapped a fine of 2.4 million cedis on Ocansey for possessing fake documents. In default, he would go to jail for 12 months.

On the charge of stealing 6.4 million cedis belonging to NSS, Ocansey would pay a fine of 7.2 million cedis or in default go to jail for three years.

The sentences of the two accused persons would run consecutively. The two convicts were posted to undertake their National Service at Islamic Education Project located in Accra. Prosecuting Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mr Emmanuel Y. Frimpong said on February 28 2006 the Police arrested Ocansey over a charge of stealing.

During a search in his room, a NSS Identity Card Number GAR05/Pr/1081/2005-2006 and ID card of Abaafon Institute Technology bearing Ocansey's name was found. He had earlier told the Police that he was a farmer.

When Ocansey was queried, he told the Police that it was Narh, who prepared the ID cards for him.

The Police, therefore, arrested Narh, who also had in his possession three NSS cards bearing his name. Narh further told the Police that he prepared ID cards for students of Abaafon Institute, so he prepared one for himself and his brother Ocansey.

Police investigations, however, revealed that the Institute did not issue its students with ID cards adding it was the accused person who forged the Institute's ID cards and managed to secure posting at NSS. When Greater Accra Regional Service of NSS was contacted, it revealed that Ocansey had withdrawn 6.44 million cedis while Narh had withdrawn 11.7 million cedis as their allowances.