Mr. Yaw Asante Agyekum, who spent 23 years in prison for his alleged involvement in a robbery conspiracy with one of Ghana’s most infamous criminals, Ataa Ayi, has been freed after a successful appeal.
A panel of three justices at the Court of Appeal unanimously ruled on Wednesday that Mr. Agyekum’s conviction was unsafe, citing insufficient evidence and a failure by the prosecution to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he participated in the crimes.
Arrested in 2001 while attending church, just months after welcoming a daughter with his wife, Mr. Agyekum was later sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Prosecutors at the time argued he was an accomplice to Ataa Ayi, but Agyekum maintained throughout the trial and his incarceration that he was innocent and had no criminal ties to the robbery.
According to Agyekum, his only link to Ataa Ayi was professional. “I was just a mechanic. I fixed his motorcycle. That was the extent of our relationship,” he had said in previous appeals and letters to legal aid groups.
In their ruling, the justices criticized the original prosecution for relying on circumstantial evidence and failing to establish any direct connection between Agyekum and the crimes committed. There was no forensic evidence, no credible witness testimony linking him to the robbery scenes, and no material proof of involvement.
The judgment brings an end to more than two decades of legal struggle and personal loss for Mr. Agyekum, whose imprisonment separated him from his wife and newborn daughter for most of her life.
Human rights advocates and legal observers welcomed the decision but expressed concern over the long delay in correcting what they describe as a serious miscarriage of justice.
“This case highlights the urgent need for reform in how evidence is assessed and the importance of post-conviction reviews in Ghana’s justice system,” one legal analyst .
Mr. Agyekum is expected to speak publicly in the coming days. His legal team has not yet indicated whether they will seek compensation or pursue further legal action related to his wrongful conviction.
Watch the video below;
Ataa Ayi’s accomplice, Yaw Asante Agyekum, has been acquitted and discharged by the Appeals Court after serving more than 22 years in jail.#UTVGhana pic.twitter.com/MSIe1txD4t
— UTV Ghana (@utvghana) June 5, 2025
Source: KingBygone.com
