Speaker of Parliament Saves Pregnant Woman from Prison

Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Aaron Oquaye has shown his compassionate side by releasing a pregnant woman from the Nsawam Female Prison by paying a fine of GHȼ3400.

According to a report by Crime Check Foundation (CCF), a Prison NGO, Akosua Sarfowaa was convicted for assaulting her husband’s girlfriend with a sandal during a confrontation.

The expectant mother, who is five months pregnant and already a mother of a one-and-half-year-old boy was sentenced to two years in prison due to her inability to pay a fine of GHȼ3400 despite her condition.

Narrating her offence to the Crime Check Foundation, Akosua said, “her husband brought in his girlfriend into the house and gave the lady her dress to wear. She couldn’t believe what was unfolding in her eyes and could not contain the humiliation. She confronted the lady and a fight ensued. In the course of the struggle, she hit the lady with a sandal she laid hands on”.

She was arraigned before a circuit court in Suhum after an arrest and was convicted for assault in which she was asked to pay a fine of GHȼ3400 or in default serve two years in jail.

Akosua, who was unable to pay the fine, was sentenced and she took her one-and-half-year-old son along.

Following the report by the Crime Check Foundation, news of Akosua’s predicament went viral on social media and the Speaker of Parliament, who chanced upon the story decided to pay the fine and get the vulnerable young expectant mother released.

In an interaction with the Executive Director of the Crime Check Foundation (CCF), Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye expressed concern about the gaps in Ghana’s laws which have seen many people serving various jail terms instead of committing them to community sentences.

“Why should a pregnant woman and her unborn child be committed to prison sentence when other alternatives could be explored to save the situation?” Prof. Oquaye quizzed.

He, therefore promised Parliament will quicken the passage of the Non-Custodial Sentencing Bill into law to save the poor and vulnerable from being jailed “wrongfully”.

In another development, The Management of Crime Check Foundation with support from some good Samaritans, have rented a flat for Ama Nima, another pregnant woman who was released from Kumasi Central Prison three weeks ago.

Madam Ama, who is heavily pregnant, was convicted to a fine of GH¢1,200, or in default serve a five-year jail term for biting the hand of a family member during a fight.

The NGO through some benevolent individuals facilitated the release of Ama and helped her with GH¢500 to start a business.

Mr Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng, the Executive Director of CCF told Ghana News Agency that management of the NGO intends to seek the release of more inmates, whose cases appear to have a semblance of miscarriage of justice.

By: Jennifer Avemee