Nayele’s sentence and a look at Ghana’s judicial system

38-year-old Nayele Ametefe also known as Ruby Appiah who has become one of the very popular people in Ghana obviously for the wrong reasons. She was arrested on Monday, November 10, 2014, while going through arrival formalities at the Heathrow Airport following a tip-off.

The Ghanaian / Austrian lady who pleaded guilty to carrying 12 kilos of cocaine to the United Kingdom was on Tuesday, January 6, 2015 sentenced to eight years, eight months imprisonment by the Isleworth Crown Court in London.

Nayele’s sentence by Judge Edmonds, QC warranted a 13 years sentence but was by way of leniency considered due to the factors presented by her defense solicitor; hence the eight years, eight months.

At the rise of this serious criminal case on November 10, 2014, about nine (9) people suspected to have aided Nayele Ametefeh to transport 12kg of cocaine to the UK were picked up in Accra by the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI). Six of them taken to an Accra circuit court.

Alhaji Dawood, the Development Manager of KELM Engineering, based in Kanda has been accused of facilitating Nayele’s access through the VIP section at the Kotoka International Airport; with the two other ladies reported to have travelled with Ametefeh but absconded after she was arrested in UK while the others are officials of the ministry of foreign affairs who aided with their VIP Lounge passage at the airport.

On December 24, 2014, Alhaji with the other five suspects were granted bail in the sum of Ghc100, 000 each with three sureties and expected to resume court on January 7, 2015.

Just consider the order and the timely manner Nayele case was tried and sentenced by the very country Ghana’s Judicial System copied by Ghana.

Within duration from November 2014, to January 7, 2015, her case was tried and justice was administered.

But as it stands now, the suspected people arrested are still being tried; needing more time and resources involved until justice is served.

Can it be said that our judicial system deliberately wastes resources and time of both parties whenever a case is presented to it? Or the long duration really helps in getting to the core of the issue presented for a well informed justice to be administered?