Twelve (12) inmates on trial for alleged criminal acts, including murder, have been discharged after evidence indicated a lack of prosecution efforts by the state.
Some of these individuals had been in custody for nearly a decade with minimal court appearances.
Ghana’s criminal justice system, underpinned by respect for human rights, mandates that suspects cannot be detained for more than 48 hours without being brought before a court. Article 14 of the 1992 Constitution empowers the court to grant or deny bail and release suspects conditionally or unconditionally in cases of unreasonable trial delays.
Despite these provisions, individuals are often remanded without timely prosecution. To address this, the Judiciary’s Justice for All programme conducts hearings within prisons for such inmates. At Nsawam Medium Prison, 12 out of 24 inmates were discharged, 10 granted bail, and two denied bail.
Notable cases included Kwabena Nyarko, who had been on remand since 2016 and was discharged due to the state’s inaction, and Samuel Owusu Addo, held for nearly 11 years without evidence of his case status.
The Judiciary reports a reduction in such cases since the programme’s inception, and prison officials are working to ensure legal processes for similar cases.
The PoS Foundation, programme facilitators, urge the cabinet to expedite the Community Sentencing Bill’s consideration.
