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The Executive Director of Perfector of Sentiments Foundation (POS), a human rights non-governmental organization, Jonathan Osei Owusu, has appealed to the media to desist from publishing inaccurate stories likely to bastardize the Justice-For-All Program.

While cautioning the media to crosscheck facts before putting them out, the human rights advocate discounted media reports that indicated Daniel Asiedu, the alleged confessed killer of the Abuakwa North legislator, Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu, is a beneficiary of the Justice-For-All Program.

According to him, churning out such wrong information will not only court public hatred for the laudable initiative, but will also deny vulnerable and poor persons who have unjustifiably been in remand prisons without trial, the opportunity to get their freedom.

In an interview with The aL-hAJJ, the Executive Director of POS Foundation said there are a lot of vulnerable persons on remand whose lives and chances could be endanger if such false and negatives reportage about the Justice-For-All program continues.

He said as far as their records show and to the best of their knowledge, there is no name as Daniel Asiedu who has benefitted from the program.

Mr Osei Owusu’s advice follow reports in the media days after Daniel Asiedu was arrested by the Police for allegedly murdering the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North, Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu, suggesting the suspect was a beneficiary of the Justice-For-All Program following the inability of the state to produce evidence to convict him on an alleged criminal case.

But the Ghana Police Service and Human Rights lawyer, Francis Xavier Sosu quickly discounted the report, insisting that Daniel Asiedu did not benefit from the program. Daniel Asiedu is alleged to have confessed to killing the Abuakwa North MP.

Meanwhile, the Executive Director of POS Foundation said this negative news about the program could be avoided if the media makes it a point to crosscheck their facts before publishing them.
He said the Justice-For-All program is not for convicted criminals and so there was no way Daniel Asiedu, a convicted criminal, could have benefited from the program.

The Justice for All Programme, funded by the UK government’s Department for International Development (DFID), support reforms in the justice sector. The program focuses on building the capacity, accountability and responsiveness of key policing justice and anti-corruption institutions and supporting them to work together, alongside civil society and oversight institutions, as part of a coherent, coordinated sector.

Read below a press statement from POS Foundation

DANIEL ASIEDU, SUSPECT IN THE MURDER OF HON JB DANKWA ADU NOT A BENEFICIARY OF THE Justice for All Programme JFAP.

The POS Foundation has observed with grave concern publications in sections of the media in relation to the above subject that seeks to paint the well thought out Justice for All Programme that seeks to alleviate the plight of remand prisoners and serves as a conduit for reducing prison numbers in bad light.

It will be recalled that in 2007, the Attorney General’s (AG) Ministry in active partnership with the Judicial Service of Ghana introduced the ‘Justice for All Programme-JFAP’. The programme seeks to promote respect for the rule of law and Human Rights by ensuring fair and expeditious trial for remand prisoners as enshrined in Article 14(4) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana which declares that “a person who is arrested or detained (Remand), but has not received a trial within a ‘reasonable period of time’, is entitled to unconditional release or release subject to conditions necessary for reappearance for judicial proceedings”.

Under the Justice For All program, remand inmates who meet a stringent criteria (excluding, armed Robbery, rape, murder… unless one has been on remand over 4 years) are interviewed; applications are prepared and filed on their behalf by lawyers and Paralegals from POS Foundation.

Applications are served on both the AG and the Police Service in the various Regions towards the in-prison Special Court Sittings. The courts sit as any other traditional court to adjudicate remand cases before them with state attorneys and the Police CIDs present. Like other courts, some of the applications receive Bail, others get discharged, and others are convicted. Some cases are dismissed or classified as rejected. It is imperative to mention that the Justice For All initiative does not advocate for the release of remand prisoners ‘criminals’ without paying heed to the demands of natural justice which admonishes fair trial.

We call on the media and the general Ghanaian public to see the programme as a means to promote justice and not to allude to unsubstantiated fact. Some reports have suggested that the alleged murderer was a beneficiary of JFAP from Ankaful Borstal Home. In fact, there is only one Borstal home in Ghana located in Accra. Upon checks from all the applications filed on behalf of remand prisoners over the years with the JFAP, the name Daniel Asiedu could not be found.

Further checks from Ankaful Prisons and the Greater Accra Police Command could also not confirm the said suspect being a beneficiary of the JFAP but rather an ex-convict. It must be clearly placed on record that the JFAP does not enlists trial cases neither does the programme seek to intervene on the part of convicted criminals.

This is also to debunk previous claims that a 10 year convicted prisoner was released after serving 2 years sentence by the Justice for All as has been reported in the case of the said Daniel Asiedu (Suspect). As much as we do not see this program as a perfect one and welcome constructive criticism, we entreat the media, the public and our partners, the Police not to put out misinformation that has the potential to tarnish the image of the programme. It appears also that sections of the media and society have the misguided conception that amnesty by the president, as he is empowered by the constitution to do, is in tandem with the JFAP.

The Justice for All Programme is doing a yeoman’s job in solving the dilemma between crime control and due process. Thus, in the absence of proper Legal Aid structures that will promote speedy access to justice, The experience of the Justice for All Programme to date has been that the poor generally are refused access to justice. Does this then mean that justice is only available to the rich?

The POS Foundation is an NGO that Promotes Human Right, Youth Development and Social Accountability for Collective Development. The Foundation for the past three has facilitated and in 2014 coordinated the Justice for All Programme across the selected Prisons in the country under the auspices the Judicial Service with funding from Star – Ghana and DANIDA. Over the years, we have provided defense lawyers or serve as legal representatives for the remand Prisoners.

Jonathan Osei Owusu
Executive Director
POS Foundation
0244175879, 0208087238 [email protected]