Five persons have been put before an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly possessing quantity of forged Driver Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA) stickers and Vehicle Registration Certificates (VRCs) and receipts.
They are Naa Dei, a typist, Kinsley Opare, a footballer, Edward Yeboah Kusi, self-employed, Richard Owuredu, a Mobile Money Operator and Juliet Baidoo, a typist.
They have been variously charged with conspiracy to commit crime, forgery of official documents, possession forged documents.
They have all pleaded not guilty and have been admitted to bail in the sum of GH¢20,000.00 cedi each with three sureties each, to reappear on May 9.
Mr Samuel Ofori, defence counsel prayed the court presided over by Mrs Abena Oppong Adjin-Doku to admit the accused to bail because they have fixed places of abode.
According to him his clients have sureties ready to execute their bail bonds.
Chief Inspector Dennis Terkpetey who objected to the bail application prayed the court to grant them bail only on terms that would ensure that they appear before the court to stand trial.
The case as presented by Chief Inspector Terkpetey was that the Chief Executive Officer of DVLA is the complainant and while all the accused resides in Accra.
Prosecution said on January 2, this year, the DVLA launched a new road worthiness sticker with enhanced security features throughout the country with the view of preventing forgery.
Two weeks after the introduction of the new roadworthiness, prosecution said the DVLA through its internal intelligence found out that the some people have started forging the new roadworthiness stickers and were selling it to unsuspecting vehicle owners thereby compromising on its security and causing financial loss to the state.
Prosecution said the DVLA management reported the issue to the Greater Accra Regional Police Command and on February 5, this year at about 1400hours, the Police dispatched detectives to the DVLA offices at around the 37 Military Hospital in Accra and arrested Naa Dei, Opare, Kusi in containers located at the Authority’s surroundings.
According to prosecution, when a search was conducted 52 copies of VRCs, 15 copies Road worthiness stickers, 514 receipts of the DVLA, two laptops, a printer and cash in the sum of GH¢415.00 were found.
On February 6, this year Owuredu and Juliet were also picked up in a container and eight copies of Vehicle Registration Certificates (VRCs) were found.
When the VRCs and the road worthiness Certificates were examined by the DVLA it found out that they have been forged.
GNA
