The Appeals Court has acquitted and discharged Yaw Asante Agyekum, a mechanic who was wrongly convicted in 2002 and sentenced to 35 years in prison for his alleged association with notorious armed robber Ataa Ayi.
Yaw Asante Agyekum was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to 35 years in prison in December 2002 for conspiracy to commit robbery.
He sadly served over 20 years of his sentence but on June 5, 2025, the court’ acquitted and discharged him.
The counsel for Agyeman, Bernard Kwabena Shaw on April 28, 2025, argued that there was no evidence to support the prosecution’s claims linking his client to the robberies committed by Ataa Ayi.
“The link to Ataa Ayi was that most of the motorbikes used by the robbers in Ataa Ayi’s network were repaired in his [Agyeman’s] workshop. So, when the swoop was carried out on Ataa Ayi, for some reason, because they found Agyeman’s name on their phones, they charged him along with the others for conspiracy to commit robbery. He had no legal counsel and was sentenced to 35 years with the others,” Shaw told journalists.
Speaking to the media, Yaw Asante Agyekum stated: “I knew I was innocent. I always prayed that I would be out of prison.”
“I was a motor repairer and used to fix Ataa Ayi’s motorbike. I did not know that he was an armed robber. I only knew him as a taxi driver in the town”, he added.
Ataa Ayi known as Raymond Aryee Aryeetey was arrested for terrorising Ghanaians in the early 2000s with his syndicate of armed robbers.
He was known for his notorious robberies, carjacking, jewellery theft, house raids, and more.
In February 2005, Ataa Ayi was apprehended at his hideout by the police during a sting operation following a tip-off.
He was sentenced to 70 years and 20 years in separate cases of armed robbery by the Accra Fast Track High Court.
Mechanic Yaw Asante Agyekum after his release met his just a-month-old baby who is now 23.
The daughter expressed her joy following court’s decision to set her father free.
Watch the video below:
Mechanic Yaw Asante Agyekum, who was freed after serving 23 years of a 35-year sentence, leaving court premises…#GHOneNews #EIBNetwork#GHOneTV #NewsAlert pic.twitter.com/6h076bpNPW
— GHOne TV (@ghonetv) June 5, 2025
Appeals Court has acquitted and discharged Yaw Asante Agyekum, a mechanic who was wrongly convicted in 2002 and sentenced to 35 years in prison for his alleged association with notorious armed robber Ataa Ayi… #GHOneNews #EIBNetwork #GHOneTV #NewsAlert pic.twitter.com/seI1I84YwT
— GHOne TV (@ghonetv) June 5, 2025
