Authorities at the Akuse Prisons in the Eastern Region have denied reports that some inmates went missing \u00a0last Friday.<\/p>\n
There were reports that the prison failed to\u00a0account for 8 prisoners billed to appear before a makeshift court in the prisons.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”sTQoaE681CiAXMExyt48H38nBbJwPA6z”]It was reported that \u00a0two judges, Justices C. J. Honyenuga and C.K Hometowu, who went to the prisons as part of the Justice for All Programme were shocked when the eight were missing from the list of 23 remand cases slated for hearing.<\/p>\n
Under the Justice for All Programme, a special court sits at in for the country to review all second degree felony and misdemeanor cases.<\/p>\n
Prisons officers were reportedly unable to explain the circumstances under which the eight could not appear before the court, except to say that two out of the eight have been granted bail.They however\u00a0\u00a0failed to produce any documentary evidence to that effect.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Officer in Charge of the Akuse prisons, Edward Fiifi Acquah has however denied such reports, describing them as false.<\/p>\n
He explained that the “51 inmates remand prisoners as of 14th<\/sup> March were sent for the Justice for All Programme and 23 out of this 51 were shortlisted for 17th<\/sup> April 2015″ were taken out of the prison by the Police.<\/p>\n “The Police have been coming for inmates for court so between the time the list was sent to the Justice for All programme and the time the court sat in the prison, eight had been taken out by the Police and each time they came for them, we could not stop them from taking them away.”<\/p>\n According to him, “it was normal for the Police to release them because at the time the court sat in the prison, these eight had already been taken out by the various police stations.”<\/p>\n Four remand prisoners released\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Meanwhile four remand prisoners at \u00a0the prison were discharged after two courts heard their cases under the \u2018Justice for All\u2019 programme.<\/p>\n Out of the 23 cases reviewed, eight of the prisoners were absent from court while two were granted bail.<\/p>\n Three other prisoners were refused bail while two bail cases were\u00a0 reviewed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n By: Marian Efe Ansah\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana
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