The Court of Appeal has acquitted and discharged Yaw Asante Agyekum, who was sentenced to 35 years imprisonment in 2010 for conspiracy to commit murder.
Agyekum had spent 23 years in jail, serving 15 years of his sentence, before appealing the conviction.
The court, presided over by a three-member panel of judges, ruled that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence to warrant conviction and sentence. Agyekum’s lawyers argued that there was no link between their client and the crimes, and the court agreed.
Agyekum was initially remanded in 2002 and convicted alongside notorious armed robber Atta Ayi, who was jailed for 160 years for multiple counts of robbery.
However, the Court of Appeal’s decision to set aside Agyekum’s conviction highlights concerns about the reliability of the original trial, particularly given Agyekum’s lack of legal representation at the time.