The Head of Legal and Prosecution Unit at the Accra Regional Headquarters of the Ghana Police Service, Chief Supt. Frank Kwofi has denied corruption allegations made by some remand prisoners on the ‘Justice for All’ programme.
Speaking to Citi FM on Friday, Chief Supt. Kwofie said his outfit followed due process in executing the program, explaining that a prisoner is only released when the individual qualifies under the circumstances.
He asserted that some of the prisoners making the controversial allegations were ones that had been remanded for less than 5 years.
“If he’s [prisoner] friends of any prison officer and for that matter he has stayed there for only 2 years…or that he has stayed there for 6 years and your case is in court, there’s no way you are going to be considered under this program,” Chief Supt Kwofie said.
He added that prisoners would be released under this program, regardless of their friendship with prison officers once that individual qualifies under the category.
The ‘Justice-for-All’ program was initiated by the judiciary to reduce congestion in prison facilities across the country, by freeing remand prisoners who have been behind bars for 5 years or more.
The Ghanaian Times in its report today stated that some remand prisoners have expressed concern about irregularities in the program.
The prisoners had alleged that their colleagues who were released had a cordial relationship with prison officers and did not deserve to be released.
One of the prisoners who made the complaint, Christopher Boakye, is cited in the newspaper as saying, prisoners with ties to prison officers often took the program for granted since they knew they would be released immediately they were brought back to jail.
Story by Fidel Amoah/Myjoyonline.com