Kumasi Central Prisons Officers probed for remanding inmate 5months after he was discharged by Court

The Kumasi Central Prisons Command is under intense scrutiny from the steering committee of the Justice for All Programme.

Chairperson Justice Angelina Mensah-Homiah has raised concerns regarding the prolonged detention of a remand prisoner whose case was dismissed by the Nkawie Circuit Court in February 2024 but remained incarcerated until his release on Monday, July 22, 2024.

Speaking to the media at the Kumasi Central Prisons, Justice Mensah-Homiah questioned the rationale behind the prisoner's continued detention.

"If a court has found no case against an accused person and has discharged them, on what basis should an investigator return the person to prison?" she asked. "Who signed the warrant for the investigator to bring the accused person back to prison? I'm still probing. I need further answers. Why and how did the person enter the prison premises when a court of competent jurisdiction had struck out the case and discharged him? Does it mean that if we had not come to the prisons today to raise this alarm, he would still be in there? He has already overstayed by five months. Just imagine, ladies and gentlemen. This can happen to your relatives, it can happen to my relatives," she stated.

Justice Mensah-Homiah's comments came after the conclusion of the first in-prison court sitting held under the Justice for All Programme at the Kumasi Central Prisons. She described the situation as deeply unfortunate and unfair, emphasizing that without the Justice for All Programme, this wrongful detention might never have been uncovered.

She urged investigators to ensure that remand warrants are always properly and duly endorsed by judges or magistrates.

During the Justice for All Court Sitting at Kumasi Central Prisons, 31 cases were presented before two courts, presided over by Justice Hannah Taylor and Justice Frederick Tetteh. Three individuals were discharged unconditionally, two were convicted, 13 bail applications were refused, and two cases were struck out.

Justice Mensah-Homiah praised the Justice for All Programme for its positive impact on vulnerable inmates who, due to lack of legal representation and other factors, might have otherwise spent years in prison without trial.