A 67-year-old food vendor, Ama Forson, who was wrongly convicted and sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment for possession of narcotic drugs, has been acquitted and discharged by the Accra High Court after serving four years and seven months in prison.
Madam Forson’s freedom was secured through the POS Foundation’s In-Prison Paralegal Programme, which trains inmates to understand legal processes, identify irregularities in their cases and pursue appeals where there has been a miscarriage of justice.
The programme, aimed at promoting access to justice for prison inmates, particularly those on remand, enabled Madam Forson to successfully challenge her conviction.
Speaking at the premiere of a documentary titled The Untold Story of Ama Forson at the Law Court Complex in Accra, the Executive Director of the POS Foundation, Jonathan Osei Owusu, said the initiative offered hope to vulnerable people who lacked the financial resources to hire lawyers.
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.
Mr Owusu thanked the governments of Ghana, the United States and Canada for their continued support for the programme.
The Acting Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy, Virginia Elliot, said the U.S. Government was supporting Ghana’s justice sector through training for prosecutors and lawyers on the Case Tracking System to improve the monitoring and management of criminal cases.
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.
Ms Elliot also disclosed that the embassy was supporting the Ghana Legal Aid Commission to establish the country’s first Public Defenders Office.
To help Madam Forson rebuild her life, the Chief Executive Officer of KAB FAM Ghana Limited, Charles Antwi Boahen, presented her with a cheque for GH¢20,000 to start a business and pledged to provide electrical appliances as well as support the education of her son.
By Malik Sullemana
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