Two brothers jailed 12 months for impersonation

By Helena Selby

Two brothers have been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment in hard labour by an Accra circuit court for impersonating each other in an examination hall.

The accused persons, Gilbert Mensah and Kofi Mensah, with a common purpose, did agree that Kofi Mensah write a Higher National Diploma (HND) Cost and Business Accounting for his brother Gilbert Mensah, who is a student of Accra Polytechnic.

Kofi Mensah was, however, arrested when one of the senior lecturers of the school detected that he was not Gilbert Mensah.

They both pleaded guilty to the charges of conspiracy to commit crime contrary to section 23 (1) of Act 29/60 and 14 (a) of professional technician examination Act of 1994 (Act 492) and impersonation at examination contrary to section 14 (a) of professional technician examination act of 1994 (Act 492).

The court, presided over by Mrs. Patience Mills-Tetteh sentenced them to pay a fine of GH¢50,000 each and in default spend 12 months in prison.

The prosecutor Chief Inspector Charles Chester narrating the fact of the case in court stated that on August 2012 at about 4:15 pm the second accused person entered the examination hall and sat on seat number 47 belonging to the first accused person to write cost and business accounting paper for him.

He said while writing the examination, the complainant detected that he was not the holder of the identity card he was using for the paper prompting him to cause the arrest of the  convict.

According to him the second accused person was then asked to call his brother and upon his brother’s arrival on the school campus he was also arrested.

The prosecutor mentioned that both accused persons were handed over to the police for investigation adding that both admitted the offence in their caution statement.

 

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