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🇬🇭 Ghana /Crime & Justice

Wrongfully convicted food vendor freed after four years, receives GH¢20,000 support

From Ghanaian Times · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Ama Forson, a 67-year-old food vendor, was freed after serving four years and seven months of an 11-year sentence for a drug possession conviction.
  • The Accra High Court acquitted and discharged her, overturning the wrongful conviction.
  • The POS Foundation's In-Prison Paralegal Programme facilitated her release, and she received GH¢20,000 for a new business.

A 67-year-old food vendor, Ama Forson, has been released from prison after the Accra High Court overturned her conviction for drug possession. Forson was initially sentenced to 11 years in prison but has now been acquitted and discharged after serving four years and seven months.

Her freedom was secured through the intervention of the POS Foundation's In-Prison Paralegal Programme. This initiative empowers inmates to understand legal processes, identify potential miscarriages of justice in their cases, and pursue appeals. The program aims to improve access to justice for incarcerated individuals, particularly those on remand who may lack the means to hire legal representation.

The programme, aimed at promoting access to justice for prison inmates, particularly those on remand, enabled Madam Forson to successfully challenge her conviction.

— POS FoundationThe POS Foundation described the impact of its In-Prison Paralegal Programme.

At the premiere of a documentary about her case, "The Untold Story of Ama Forson," Jonathan Osei Owusu, Executive Director of the POS Foundation, highlighted the program's role in offering hope to vulnerable individuals. He stated the foundation's commitment to not only exposing flaws in the justice system but also providing practical solutions for the poor and marginalized.

He said the foundation was committed not only to highlighting shortcomings in the justice delivery system but also to providing practical solutions that would ensure justice for the poor and marginalised.

— Jonathan Osei OwusuThe Executive Director of the POS Foundation spoke about the organization's mission.

Support for the program comes from the governments of Ghana, the United States, and Canada. Virginia Elliot, Acting Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy, noted the U.S. government's support for Ghana's justice sector through training on the Case Tracking System. The U.S. Embassy, in partnership with the Judiciary, the Ghana Prisons Service, and the POS Foundation, is proud to support the In-Prison Paralegal Programme to safeguard the rights of vulnerable accused persons.

To aid Forson in rebuilding her life, Charles Antwi Boahen, CEO of KAB FAM Ghana Limited, presented her with GH¢20,000 to start a business. He also pledged to provide electrical appliances and support her son's education, offering a tangible path forward after her wrongful imprisonment.

She said the U.S. Embassy, through the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, was proud to support the In-Prison Paralegal Programme in partnership with the Judiciary, the Ghana Prisons Service and the POS Foundation to protect the rights of vulnerable accused persons.

— Virginia ElliotThe Acting Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy highlighted U.S. support for the program.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Ghanaian Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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