Ambassador of Prisons pleads for 72-year-old prisoner

Mr Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng Ambassador Extraordinaire of Prisons, has urged the Attorney General (AG) to reconsider the case of a 72 year- old man, Emmanuel Tetteh.

Mr Tetteh was allegedly implicated in a murder case, a crime he claimed he knew nothing about and has since been in Prison custody since 1987.

Mr Kwarteng made the appeal when he donated some toiletries to inmates of the Ankaful Maximum Security Prison.

The culprit, Tengey implicated another person, Grumah, who unfortunately died just two months into his sentence.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency Mr Kwarteng who is also the Executive Director of Crime Check Foundation said his wife and children knew Tetteh was dead after he was sentenced to death during his trial.

Mr Kwarteng claimed that information reaching him indicated that Tetteh’s best friend was now married to his wife and has four children with her.

The Ambassador said the story came into the public domain almost a year ago after he interviewed Tetteh and Tengey at the Ankaful Maximum Security Prison as part of his 'Time with the Prisoner' series.

He said though Tengey confessed to implicating Tetteh in the murder case; Tetteh still remained in prison years after Tengey's confession.

“An appeal earlier made by Mr Tetteh was rejected on the grounds that he was convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction,” he added.

Mr Kwarteng said a grave injustice would have been done to Mr Tetteh if he dies in prison considering the fact that his health is deteriorating.

He, therefore, charged the AG to act with urgency on Tetteh's case to ensure that justice is served.

He said he believes there are more “Tetteh’s” in prison, hence the need for members of the Justice Delivery chain, especially the Police, to ensure that thorough investigations are carried out in sensitive cases to ensure that the rights of suspects are not infringed upon.

Mr. Kwarteng presented an unspecified amount of money to the authorities for the upkeep of Mr Tetteh.