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A member of the Edo State House of Assembly, Mr Ugiagbe Dumez, was on Friday arraigned before an Edo State High Court in Benin for alleged forgery and impersonation.
Dumez, 45, with one other now at large, were said to have committed the offences around 2001.
The defendant was arraigned before Justice Ohimai Ovbiagele.
The lawmaker was, however, not in court to take his plea.
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According to charges read by the court, at about the year 2001 at the Benin Criminal Division, Dumez and one other now at large conspired with themselves to commit felony to wit: forgery.
The lawmaker was said to have made a false document of West African Senior School Certificate with No: NGWASSCP 1230734 of December 2001 in the name of Ugiagbe Onaiwu Dumez with examination No: 5131293070 by altering the original passport and super-imposing his passport photograph.
The defendant was also said to have conspired with the other suspect now at large to commit impersonation and forgery.
Dumez was said to have falsefully represented himself to be the person who wrote the examination and whose photograph is on certificate No: NGWASSCP 1230734 with candidate No: 5131293070, which is indeed, the photograph of another person.
He was also said to have falsefully represented himself to be the person whose passport photograph appeared on the certificate and who wrote the examination.
The lawmaker was said to have knowingly and unlawfully altered a false document with the name of Ugiagbe Onaiwu Dumez.
According to the charge sheet, the offences are punishable under Sections 21 (a) and 467 of the Criminal Code, Cap 48, vol. II, Laws of the Defunct Bendel State of Nigeria, 1976 as applicable in Edo State.
However, after the charges were read, the state said it was taking over the case, which has the Edo commissioner of police as complainant.
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The State Counsel, Mr Peter Ojo, said the decision to take over the matter was in pursuant to Section 212 of the Nigerian Constitution.
Ojo, who said the defendant had been released on bail after being arrested by the police in Abuja, assured that he would bring Dumez to take his plea at the next adjourned date.
Obviagele adjourned the case to Nov. 1, 2019 for the suspect to take his plea.
NAN
