The Court of Appeal has scheduled June 5, 2025, to deliver its judgment in the case of Yaw Asante Agyeman, an alleged accomplice of the infamous armed robber Ayi Ayeetey, also known as Ataa Ayi, who is serving a sentence of nearly 100 years for armed robbery and other offences.
Agyeman, a mechanic by profession, was sentenced to 35 years in December 2002 for conspiracy to commit robbery. He has served over 20 years of his sentence. His legal team has contested the charges, arguing that there was insufficient evidence to connect him to the robberies.
During Monday’s court session on April 28, Bernard Kwabena Shaw, counsel for Asante Agyeman, argued that the prosecution failed to provide credible evidence linking his client to the robberies.
Shaw pointed out that the only connection to Ataa Ayi was that some of the motorbikes used by the robbers were repaired in Agyeman’s workshop.
Shaw stated that Agyeman was charged along with the others merely because his name appeared on the robbers’ phones during the police swoop on Ataa Ayi’s gang.
“He had no counsel and was sentenced to 35 years with the others,” Shaw said in his argument, emphasizing that Agyeman had been unjustly convicted based on minimal evidence.
After eight years of legal battles, the Court of Appeal is now set to deliver its judgment, which will determine whether Agyeman’s conviction will stand or if his sentence will be reduced.
