Chief Justice Georgina Wood
TWENTY-Four Remand prisoners of the Nsawam medium Security Prison have been discharged under the ‘Justice For All’ programme.
Out of the 87 cases reviewed by nine Justices of the Appeal Court and the High Court, 48 applicants were granted bail with one condition.
Three cases were however adjourned, nine dismissed with no suspects being convicted.
The Justices were C. J. Honyenuga, K. A. Ofori-Atta, Abdullah Iddrisu, Mustapha Logoh, John Ajet-Nasam, Ernest Obimpeh, U.P. Dery, Afia Serwa Asare-Botwe and Constant Hometowu.
‘Justice For All’ is an initiative by the Ministry of Justice and the Attorney General’s Department to decongest the prisons of the large numbers of remand inmates.
It is also supported by the Center for Human Rights and Civil Liberties (CHURCIL) and funded by the United Kingdom Government’s Department for International Development (DFID).
It has over the years helped bring some form of justice to persons who have been on remand without any opportunity for a court hearing.
Charanpreet Singh Walia, Head of Migration Policy at the British High Commission, Accra, speaking to DAILY GUIDE after the event, said the programme formed part of a £500,000 UK Government support project for the Prison Service.
He said the project would among other things, help reform the Prison Service by offering training for personnel on human rights. It would also refurbish the facilities to make them more decent and help expand them to decongest the prisons.
Mr. Walia further noted that the programme is in the right direction as it gives people who have been detained their liberty.
‘We will be organizing the same thing next week in Sunyani,’ he said.
Mr. Walia noted that it was important that the judiciary, Police Service and the Prison Service to enhance communication and work closely together to ensure that the number of remand prisoners does not swell.
BY Jamila Akweley okertchiri
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