The Court of Appeal has acquitted and discharged Yaw Asante Agyekum, who was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2010 alongside notorious armed robber Ataa Ayi, who received a 160-year sentence.
Agyekum, who was originally arrested in 2002, had been convicted of conspiracy to commit murder. He was accused of being a mechanic for Ataa Ayi’s criminal gang, which was active across Accra in the late 1990s and early 2000s and was responsible for multiple armed robberies.
Also Read: World Bank U-turn ends loan ban to Uganda over gay rights
While Ataa Ayi and his gang were convicted of numerous robbery charges, Agyekum appealed his conviction, arguing through his lawyers that the prosecution failed to directly link him to any of the crimes.
The Court of Appeal, in a ruling by a three-member panel comprising Justice Aboagye Tanoh, Justice Stephen Oppong, and Justice Janapare Bartels Kodwo, found merit in the appeal. They noted that Agyekum had no legal representation at the time of his conviction and that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence to justify the verdict.
The court subsequently set aside his conviction, bringing an end to Agyekum’s 23-year ordeal.