Four persons discharged

Story: Albert K. Salia
FOUR persons have bee discharged under the “Justice for All” programme as part of efforts to decongest the country’s prisons.
Yaw Charles, Emmanuel Kwame alias Alomo, Stephen Amoah and Philip K. Yankson, were all discharged after the state told the special court, presided over by Mrs Georgina Mensah-Datsa that considering the value of the items they were said to have stolen and the time spent in custody, they should be discharged.
Accordingly, they were cautioned and discharged.
Two others, who pleaded not guilty, had their cases fixed for October 17, 2007 for hearing while a third was granted bail in the sum of ¢5 million with one surety.
Nana Kwaku Duah Agyemang Prempeh who was charged for defrauding by false pretences and Samuel Afari, charged for stealing, had their cases fixed for October 17, while Chidi Okore, who was charged for defrauding was granted bail in the sum of ¢5 million with one surety.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Miss Gertrude Aikins and Mrs Stella Badu, a Principal State Attorney, represented the state.
The Ministry of Justice and Attorney-General’s Department on September 27, 2007, launched its “Justice for All” programme as part of efforts to decongest the country’s prisons.
Under the programme, a special court is sitting at the James Fort Prisons in Accra to review all second degree felony and misdemeanour cases.
While the court is sitting, another team will be conducting verification exercises on all such cases to ensure that cases referred to it tallied with the persons being dealt with.
The programme does not include non-bailable offences such as narcotics, armed robbery and rape.
It is expected to be reviewed within a month to streamline its procedures and processes in order for it to be replicated throughout the country.
At its sitting yesterday, the court was told that Yaw Charles stole a mobile phone worth ¢1.6 million in November 2006.
According to Mrs Badu, although the phone was retrieved and given to the owner, the suspect had been in custody since November 12, 2006 with no date set for hearing.
She, therefore, asked that the accused be discharged since he had spent enough time in custody to serve as a punishment.
With regards to Emmanuel Kwame, who was arrested on August 3, 2006, for stealing 20 pieces of iron rods, the prosecution said the iron rods had been returned to the owner while there had been seven adjournments with the complainant not showing up in court.
The judge, therefore, cautioned and discharged him.
According to the prosecution, Stephen Amoah was caught wearing the boots, and riding a bicycle he stole on May 27, 2007 and had been in custody since then.
It said the items had been retrieved and returned to the owner while the accused was still in custody.
It said the complainant had failed to show up in court, resulting in five adjournments in the case and, therefore, requested that the accused be cautioned and discharged.
Philip K. Yankson, the prosecution said, admitted to helping two persons, identified only as Kobby and Yaw, to selling stolen electrical cables worth ¢150,000 in May 2007.
It said he should be cautioned and discharged, which the court granted.
Nana Duah, according to the prosecution was being held for defrauding two persons of about ¢55 million on the pretext of selling a plot of land on the Spintex Road to them, a land which did not belong to him.
Ms Aikins said although the accused had been granted bail since August 4, 2006 after his arrest in 2002, he had not been able to fulfil the bail bond.
Accordingly, the court fixed October 17, for hearing of the substantive case.
Samuel Afari, the prosecution said, was charged for stealing ¢7 million worth of polythene bags belonging to his employer.
It appealed for an early date for hearing following the inability of the accused to fulfil the bail bond granted him on October 19, 2006.
The prosecution told the court that Chidi Okore collected ¢4.5 million from three complainants with the view of securing Canadian visas for them.
It said the accused, however, went into hiding after collecting the money and had been in custody for 17 months since he was arrested.
The court, therefore, granted him bail in the sum o ¢5 million with one surety.
The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr Joe Ghartey, said the exercise offered an opportunity not just to release accused persons in custody but also offered others early trial.
In that way, he said, justice would not be denied.