8 prisoners freed in Sekondi

Eight remand prisoners at the Sekondi Prisons were freed last Friday by the special court that sat at the prisons under the Justice for All Project.

Five of the eight prisoners were cautioned, discharged and bonded while the other three were discharged and bonded.

Sixteen of the remanded prisoners were granted bail while the remand imposed on 15 other prisoners were upheld by the court.

Three of the remand prisoners were convicted by the courts.

The two special courts were headed by Justice Clemence Honyenuga and Constant Hometowu both high court judges who sat for a little over three hours to review the remand cases of 42 persons at the prisons.

The Special Court One had 26 cases while the Court Two had 16.

Among the prisoners granted bail included a 20-year-old who was five months pregnant and hailed from the Central Region.

She was accused of conspiring with others to rob in Cape Coast.

She claimed that her mother was deceased and that her father was mentally ill and so did not have anybody to stand surety for her.

The Justice for All Project is being executed under the auspices of the Access to Justice for Remand Prisoners Project.

It was in collaboration with the Judicial Service, Attorney General’s Department, Ghana Police Service and Ghana Prisons Service.

The Access to Justice Project seeks to alleviate overcrowding at the prisons by setting up special courts to adjudicate on remand prisoners’ cases.

The prisoners were offered free legal representation during the hearing of the cases.

Justice Honyenuga debunked the assertion that the project was being used to free hardened criminals onto the streets.

He explained that, the project would help resolve the challenges that arise in efforts to control crime and the upholding of the right of accused persons.

He said, in crime control, it was important that due process was followed to avoid abuse of the rights of the accused person.

Justice Hometowu indicated some judges in the metropolis would be taken to the prisons to learn at first hand conditions there so they could expedite action on cases of remand prisoners.