A 45-year-old trained teacher, Stephen Frempong, is seeking compensation from the State over alleged wrongful arrest, torture and human rights violations he says he suffered during his years in remand custody.
Frempong, a native of Sokode-Etoe in the Ho Municipality of the Volta Region, is calling for an investigation into his treatment following his arrest in September 2005. He maintains that he was wrongly accused of robbery and subjected to mistreatment while in police custody.
According to his account, he was arrested on September 3, 2005, when he was 23 years old, following an incident involving a commercial driver in Ho. Frempong has denied committing the alleged robbery, insisting that the money at the centre of the case belonged to him.
He explained that the money was financial support from his Russian girlfriend and was equivalent to approximately 550,000 old Ghana cedis at the time. He alleged that, while attempting to exchange the foreign currency, he met a man identified as Selorm Hanson, also known as “Joseph K. Noble,” who offered to help him.
Frempong claimed that Hanson and a taxi driver later attempted to take the money from him. He alleged that he was rendered unconscious during the incident and that the driver was subsequently stabbed during a confrontation. According to Frempong, Hanson fled when people approached the scene.
He believes that members of the public mistook him for the attacker because he was covered in blood and was found near the injured driver. He was subsequently handed over to the police.
Frempong further alleged that he was subjected to severe mistreatment during police interrogations, including at the Police Anti-Robbery Unit headquarters in Accra. He said the alleged abuse worsened an existing surgical wound on his abdomen.
The former remand prisoner said he spent about four years at Ho Central Prison and appeared before a court only four times during that period. He was eventually granted bail in 2009.
He attributed developments in his case to information allegedly provided by Hanson, who was later remanded at the same prison in connection with another offence. Frempong said fellow inmates reported that Hanson had allegedly confessed to his involvement in the earlier incident, prompting prison authorities to take an interest in the matter.
He also acknowledged the assistance of prison officials and legal practitioner Ernest Gaewu, now a Supreme Court judge, whom he credited with helping him obtain bail.
Frempong is now demanding compensation for what he describes as wrongful treatment, violations of his fundamental rights and the years he spent in remand custody. He is also seeking the return of belongings he alleges were seized during his arrest, including cash, two HP laptops and a mobile phone.
He has appealed to Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, Attorney-General Dr Dominic Ayine, Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak and Inspector-General of Police Christian Tetteh Yohuno to investigate his complaints and assist him in recovering the items.
His demands have renewed attention to the importance of protecting the rights of people in police custody and ensuring that allegations of mistreatment are properly investigated.
The claims remain Frempong’s account of the events. Any determination of responsibility for the alleged torture, wrongful arrest or loss of property would require appropriate investigation and legal findings.
Source: Thepressradio.com
