Convict absconds 3-year jail term, but Ghana Police Service explains

GhanaWeb investigations have revealed that an Accra Circuit Court presided over by Her Honour Ruby Naa Adjeley Quaison, on March 7, 2019, convicted one Harold Davis Johnson to 3 years imprisonment with hard labour, but strangely the convict is not in jail.

The convict had been on the Police wanted list for defrauding by false pretences.

After the conviction, it was recorded by Police Investigator Isaac Ken Yeboah of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) that the convict had been surrendered to the Ghana Prison Service to serve his jail term.

Harold Davies Johnson, after being convicted for defrauding by false pretence, was to be tried yet again for another offence.

Entries in the police docket stated that the police investigator in charge of the case had been the one presenting the convict before the Circuit Court for subsequent trial, instead of the Ghana Prisons Service.

“That entries in the police docket indicated that the police investigator had surrendered the convict to the Ghana Prisons Service giving the Respondent the impression that all lawful steps were being taken in the case.”

But inquiries at the Prisons indicated that the convict since he was convicted in 2019 has not been sent to prison to serve his sentence.

Ernest Asante Adofo, Deputy Director of Prisons in a letter sighted by GhanaWeb wrote: “I wish to inform you that a thorough search through our records reveals that Mr Harold Davies Johnson was not brought into our custody.”

“That, sometime in December 2020, the Police Service got information that the convict had not been surrendered to the Prisons to serve his sentence.”

Consequently, James Oppong-Boanuh, the Inspector General of Police has been cited for contempt of court to explain why he did not send the convict to prison.

In the Affidavit available to GhanaWeb, Isaac Ken Yeboah, Director-General and Investigator who responded to the contempt charge on behalf of the IGP, said: “there has been no deliberate act on his part to obstruct the course of justice”.

The Police investigator has been interdicted and all his accoutrements seized.

The IGP has reportedly notified all border posts and placed the name of the convict on the watch list.

A team of police officers have been dispatched by the IGP to “trace and arrest the convict but unfortunately, as of now, the convict cannot be traced”, continued the IGP’s response to the court.

“Every effort is being made to apprehend the convict whilst the internal administrative disciplinary action against the investigator is steadily progressing.”

The Applicant in case no. D6/177/19, Dr Shedrack Asare, through his lawyers at KAA Law, has thereby filed a judgement debt against the Ghana Police Service to a tune of £26,500 excluding interest.