Student jailed 13 months for varsity admission fraud

The Winneba District Magistrate’s Court has sentenced a student of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), to 13 months’ imprisonment for defrauding woman by false pretences.

Frank Anderson Junior, 30, pleaded guilty and appealed to the court to give him time to refund the money.

However, the Court presided over by Madam Josephine Fosua Appiah, convicted the accused on his own plea and sentenced him accordingly.

Detective Police Inspector Dorinda Azuma, prosecuting, said the complainant, Ms Emeta Cecilia Odarno, is unemployed, while the convict, Frank Ander­son Junior, is a student of UEW, both residing in Winneba.

The court heard that in 2023, the complainant needed admis­sion to UEW and as a result she contacted Simon Alhassan, a witness in the case, also a student of UEW, for assistance.

Insp. Azuma disclosed that the witness approached Ander­son Junior, convict, to assist the complainant to get the admission.

The court heard that Ander­son Junior asked the complainant to pay GH¢ 2,500.00 for the admission form and subsequent admission.

Insp. Azuma said Ms Odarno paid the money through Alhas­san the witness, to the convict.

The prosecution stated that on August 6, 2024, Ms Odarno received an admission letter for 2023/2024 academic year from UEW in a PDF form on her mo­bile phone from the witness who sent it to her from the convict.

Insp. Azuma said on receipt of the admission letter, the complainant intended to pay the

 school fees, but had a challenge due to the index number given her on the admission letter.

The court heard that the com­plainant contacted Samuel Teye Dei, also a witness, for assistance, and he (Dei) contacted the con­vict, and the latter instructed that the complainant send him the fees of GH¢ 2,300.00 through Teye Dei, which she did.

Insp. Azuma added that the convict later forwarded a UEW official receipt from Zenith Bank Ghana limited, Winneba Branch, with Number 240207876A480F, dated February 7, 2024, to the complainant through Teye Dei.

The prosecution said all this while, the complainant was attending lectures at UEW, but later detected that the receipt given her was fake.

Insp. Azuma said when Ms Odarno went to the Students’ Center for verification, it was confirmed that the admission letter was forged, and her name was not in the UEW system.

The court heard that Mrs Odarno reported the case to the police and the convict was apprehended and during investigation he refunded GH¢ 2,230.00 electronically to Mohammed Samuel Alhassan, a twin brother of witness, Simon Alhassan, and GH¢ 4,850.00 was later retrieved from him. —GNA

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