Court of Appeal frees businessman jailed 19 years for unproven robbery

The Court of Appeal has acquitted and discharged businessman Yaw Appiah, who wrongfully spent 19 years in jail for a robbery prosecutors failed to prove he committed.

Yaw Appiah was convicted in 2011 and sentenced to 45 years after being linked to a 2006 robbery in Teshie Nungua.

However, the Court of Appeal ruled that no evidence connected him to the crime.

It highlighted serious errors in the High Court’s judgment, including the false claim that he had pleaded guilty when records showed he maintained his innocence.

State prosecutors admitted that the evidence was weak and that the trial judge’s misinterpretation led to an unjust conviction.

The Court of Appeal described his prolonged detention as a tragedy and set aside his conviction and sentence.