Woyongo demands release of prisoners on remand for over five years

Interior Minister Mark Woyongo is calling for the release of suspects who have been remanded in prison custody for over five years.

Addressing prisoners and prison authorities in the Upper East, Thursday, the minister said it will be unfair to keep suspects on remand for over four or five years.

“If you are in prison for five years and they have not been able to finish your case, they should release you” he said to rapturous applause by the prisoners.

“You don’t keep somebody on remand for four years or five years. How about if at the end of the years he is not proven guilty. I think it is not fair,” he said.

The Minister said he will be tabling a discussion with stakeholders to have the matter addressed.

“In the next few weeks the Interior Ministry is going to have a stakeholders conference to collect suggestions as to how we can reform our laws to make provisions for non-custodial sentences.

“In Ghana today you are found with one wrapper of indian hemp and they put you here for one year six months and thereabout instead of just asking you to go to the assembly and to do some weeding and say good bye,” the ecstatic prisoners again applauded the comments made by the minister.

“And I am sure if we are able to do this we will decongest the prison,” he stated.