“Justice Delayed: Judge Expresses Outrage Over Continued Detention of Cleared Remand Prisoner”

A Court of Appeal judge, Justice Angelina Mensah-Homiah, has expressed her disappointment and concern over the detention of a remand inmate despite being discharged by a court. During a special court session at the Kumasi Central Prisons, Justice Mensah-Homiah discovered that an inmate had been held for several months after their case was struck out by the Nkawie circuit court in February 2024.

The inmate was arrested on suspicion of robbery, but the court found no case against them and discharged them. However, the investigator brought the inmate back to prison with a valid warrant. Justice Mensah-Homiah questioned the basis for the investigator’s actions, emphasizing that no Ghanaian citizen should be subjected to such treatment.

She ordered the immediate release of the inmate, who had overstayed in prison for five months, and vowed to investigate the matter further. The Acting Officer in Charge of the Kumasi Central Prisons, CSP Alex Adjei, explained that the investigator had brought the inmate with a valid warrant, but Justice Mensah-Homiah was not satisfied with this explanation.

She tasked facilitators of the Justice for All Programme to focus on expeditious trials, aiming to reduce the time between arrest and final adjudication. Out of the 31 cases adjudicated at the Kumasi Central Prisons, 3 inmates were discharged unconditionally, 2 cases were struck out, 13 inmates were admitted to bail, and 13 inmates were refused bail.

Executive Director of POS Foundation, Jonathan Osei Wusu, highlighted the organization’s efforts to improve the justice system, including working with the judiciary to introduce new legislation. The Justice for All intervention has brought relief to vulnerable remand inmates who may have spent years in prison without trial due to lack of legal representation or other factors.