Two arrested over alleged extortion in GES recruitment exercise

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has announced the arrest of two individuals accused of demanding money from applicants in connection with its ongoing recruitment exercise.

The arrests were made in collaboration with the security agencies as part of efforts to protect the integrity of the recruitment process.

GES said four suspects had been identified, with two arrested and arraigned before the Accra Circuit Court 6, while the other two remain at large.

“Recruitment into the Ghana Education Service is free and undertaken through established procedures,” the GES said in a statement issued on Friday, August 28.

The Service said the arrests and subsequent arraignment forms part of its monitoring of the recruitment exercise to protect applicants from fraudsters.

It said the suspects were being subjected to due process in relation to their alleged activities.

GES also rejected suggestions that a scandal had hit the Service or the ongoing recruitment exercise, noting that the individuals allegedly involved in criminal activities had instead been identified and brought before the law.

“No scandal has hit the Ghana Education Service or the ongoing recruitment exercise. Rather, persons alleged to have engaged in criminal activities have been identified, arrested and brought before the law,” it stated.

The Service urged members of the public not to pay money to anyone who claims to have the ability to secure recruitment, appointment letters or placement within the GES.

It further encouraged the public to report suspected cases of fraud and provide information that could assist the security agencies in identifying and apprehending suspects.