Two prison officers have been brought before an Accra Circuit Court, accused of aiding Wang Xiao, a Chinese inmate convicted at Nsawam Medium Prison, in his escape.
Joseph Oteng and Sergeant Isaac Boateng Bonsu are facing charges of conspiracy and assisting in escape.
The two correctional officers, , allegedly informed their superiors that a Toyota Vitz car approached them after visiting the hospital, driving away with the convict.
However, CCTV footage from a hotel contradicted their account. The footage showed the officers escorting the Chinese convict to meet his wife in a hotel room, where they allegedly escaped via the balcony while the officers waited in the reception area.
Both officers pleaded not guilty and were granted bail by Mrs. Afia Owusua Appiah in the sum of GhC100,000 each, with two sureties to be justified.
They are scheduled to appear in court again on April 9, 2024. Prosecution led by Chief Inspector Wisdom Alorwu stated that the complainant was the third in command at Nsawam Medium Security Prisons, and the accused served under his supervision.
On February 7, 2024, the two officers were assigned to escort Wang Xiao, a Chinese national serving a one-year sentence, to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for treatment. After treatment, they agreed to accompany him to a hotel to meet his wife in exchange for a reward of GHC1,000, which they planned to split.
They removed the convict’s handcuffs and took him to the hotel reception, where Bonsu informed the receptionist they were there to see someone in a room. They sent the convict to the room to meet his alleged wife, who offered them food and drink while she spent time alone with him.
Upon returning to the room, they discovered the convict and his alleged wife had escaped through the balcony. The accused then hid the handcuffs at Tema Station Hockey.
They later informed their superiors at Nsawam that the convict escaped after being stopped by a taxi. Subsequently, a formal complaint was lodged with the police on February 13, 2024.
During investigations, the accused led police to the hotel, where CCTV footage revealed the escape. They were alerted to the escape only when the hotel staff checked on the prisoner.
