The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday arraigned a member of the House of Representatives, representing Oron Federal Constituency of Akwa-Ibom State ,Nse Bassey Ekpenyong for alleged certificate forgery and alteration of his West African School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) result.
The EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren said in a statement yesterday that Ekpenyong was arraigned before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court sitting in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State on a nine-count charge of forgery and altering of certificate.
He was alleged to have forged an Abia State Polytechnic Ordinary National Diploma (OND) certificate and a December 1999 WASSCE certificate and thereby committed perjury before an electoral tribunal where he claimed that the certificates were genuine,” the statement said.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to him.He was then granted bail in the sum of N10 million with one surety in like sum. The surety is expected to swear to an affidavit of means, provide two recent passport photographs and three years tax clearance certificate.
The surety is expected to write an undertaking to produce the defendant throughout the trial and all the documents of the surety must be verified by the Registrar.
Ekpeyong was however , remanded in prison custody pending the perfection of his bail. The case was adjourned till April 12 and 26 and May 3 and 4, 2017 for trial.
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