An Accra Circuit Court has set the date for the case of two Prison Officers accused of aiding a Chinese convict to escape from Nsawam Medium Security Prisons.
The officers, Joseph Oteng and Sergeant Isaac Boateng Bonsu, have pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy and aiding escape.
The court, presided over by Mrs. Afia Owusuaa Appiah, has adjourned the matter until May 3 to allow the prosecution to file their disclosures. The correctional officers are currently on GHC 100,000 bail each.
According to Chief Inspector Wisdom Alorwu, the complainant was the third in Command at the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons, and the accused were under his supervision. On February 7, 2024, the two officers were assigned to escort the Chinese national, Wang Xiao, to Korle Bu Teaching Hospital for treatment.
After the convict was treated, the officers agreed to take him to a hotel to meet his wife for a discussion in exchange for a reward of GHC1,000, which they planned to split. The officers removed the convict’s handcuffs and brought him to the hotel reception, where they met his alleged wife.
The allegations state that the officers’ neglect allowed the convict and his alleged wife to flee through a balcony while they were distracted. The officers then attempted to cover up the escape by claiming the convict had left in a taxi.
During the investigation, CCTV footage showed the convict and his alleged wife escaping from the balcony while the accused were relaxing in the hotel reception. The officers only realized the escape after hotel staff alerted them to check on the prisoner.
The accused were then interrogated by their superiors at the Ghana Prisons Service headquarters, leading to a formal complaint to the police. The hunt for the escaped convict continues as the officers face serious charges for their involvement in the escape.
