The Court of Appeal has acquitted and discharged Yaw Asante Agyekum, who was previously sentenced to 35 years’ imprisonment in 2010 alongside notorious armed robber Atta Ayi, who received a 160-year jail term.
Agyekum was remanded in 2002 and spent 23 years in detention, serving 15 years of his sentence related to the incident.
His conviction was for conspiracy to commit murder.
Agyekum was alleged to have worked as a mechanic for Atta Ayi’s notorious crew, which terrorized Accra’s streets in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Following his sentencing, Agyekum appealed, with his lawyers arguing that the prosecution failed to establish a link between their client and the crimes.
The Court of Appeal upheld the appeal, agreeing with Agyekum’s lawyers that he had been without legal representation during his conviction, and subsequently set aside the conviction.
The three-member panel, comprising Justice Aboagye Tanoh, Justice Stephen Oppong, and Justice Janapare Bartels Kodwo, determined that the prosecution had not provided sufficient evidence to justify the conviction and sentence.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
