The Court of Appeal has set June 5, 2025 as the date to deliver judgment in the case of Yaw Asante Agyeman, who is challenging his 35-year prison sentence after being convicted as an alleged accomplice of notorious armed robber Ataa Ayi.
After nearly eight years of legal battle, the court, presided over by Justices Janapare, Stephen Oppong, and Aboagye Tandoh, is poised to determine Agyeman’s fate.
Yaw Asante Agyeman, a former motorbike repairer, was arrested after police found his contact on the mobile phones of members of Ataa Ayi’s robbery syndicate.
“The link to Ataa Ayi was that most of the bikes used by the robbers in Ataa Ayi’s fraternity were repaired in his workshop,” his lawyer explained to journalists.
“So, when the swoop was done on Ataa Ayi, for some reason, because they saw his name on their phones, they charged him together with the others for conspiracy to commit robbery. He had no counsel and was sentenced to 35 years with the others,” he added.
The case was brought to the attention of his lawyer by the then-Officer in Charge of the Nsawam Prison, prompting a lengthy appeal process complicated by missing court records and procedural delays.
The Attorney General’s Department is reported to have filed no submissions opposing the appeal, which Agyeman’s lawyer believes indicates the strength of their case.
If successful, Yaw Asante Agyeman could finally regain his freedom after spending more than two decades behind bars for a crime he insists he did not commit.
