Ataa Ayi's Mechanic Freed After Serving 23 Years Behind Bars

The Court of Appeal has acquitted and discharged Yaw Asante Agyekum who was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2010 together with notorious armed robber Ataa Ayi who was jailed for 160 years. Agyekum was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2010 after being linked to the notorious armed robber, who received a 160-year sentence. Originally taken into custody in 2002, Agyekum was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, accused of working as a mechanic for Ataa Ayi’s criminal gang, which operated across Accra in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Ataa Ayi and his crew were convicted of multiple counts of robbery. Agyekum however appealed the sentence with his lawyers arguing that the prosecution was not able to link their client to any of the crimes. Upon appeal, the court of appeal agreed with lawyers of Agyekum who had no legal representation when he was convicted, and thus set aside the conviction. The three-member panel of Justice Aboagye Tanoh, Justice Stephen Oppong, and Justice Janapare Bartels Kodwo noted that the prosecution failed to ‘give enough evidence to warrant conviction and sentence.