Tepa-Ashanti, March 16, GNA - A Tepa Circuit court presided over by Mr S.K.B. Alomatu on Wednesday sentenced a 'fake graduate teacher', Maxwell Adu-Gyamfi, 38, to five years' imprisonment in hard labour. Adu-Gyamfi pleaded guilty to using forged certificates.

The court ordered that the forged certificates should be destroyed and 800,000 cedis found on the accused during his arrest by the police returned to the Ghana Education Service (GES). Police Inspector Francis Asante prosecuting, told the court that Adu-Gyamfi was employed by GES in Kumasi on December 1, 2004 and posted to Mabang Presbyterian JSS as a teacher on a monthly salary of 1.347 million cedis. He said in October 2005, the accused was transferred from Mabang to New Koforidua Presbyterian JSS in the Ejisu-Juaben district but the District Director of Education asked the accused to submit a release letter from the Ahafo-Ano North District Director of Education.

Police Inspector Asante said Adu-Gyamfi contacted the Ahafo-Ano North District Director of Education for the release letter but changed his mind and opted for a position in the Ahafo-Ano North District Directorate of Education as an officer. The prosecution said the Ahafo-Ano North District Director of Education, asked Adu-Gyamfi to write an application letter for an assurance letter, which he obliged. He said after reading the application letter, the Ahafo-Ano North District Director of Education was not satisfied with the standard of English used by the accused and therefore, called for the personal file of the accused.

The prosecution said the Director, observed that the accused had WAEC GCE 'O' level certificate, 1990, GCE 'A' level 1992, GCE 'A' level, 1993, teachers' certificate 'A' (post middle) 1995 and BA (Hons), University of Ghana, 2004, all bearing the name of Adu-Gyamfi. He said the Director became suspicious of the certificates and called in the BNI to assist her in the investigation to verify the genuineness of the certificates. After the BNI investigations, the accused was handed over to the police for further investigations.

Police Inspector Asante said Adu-Gyamfi admitted the offence and said he forged the certificates belonging to his friend called Kyei Barffour now resident in London to gain an employment as a teacher. Ghana News Agency investigations, revealed that Adu-Gyamfi, a native of Atwima-Foase, was using teachers' registration number 8234/95 and teachers' certificate 'A' from Enchi Training College.