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In a startling revelation, two prison officers, Joseph Oteng and Sergeant Isaac Boateng Bonsu, have been brought before the Accra Circuit Court on charges of aiding the escape of Chinese convict Wang Xiao from Nsawam Medium Prison.
Facing charges of conspiracy and aiding escape, the accused correctional officers initially claimed innocence, reporting to their superiors that a Toyota Vitz car approached them after a hospital visit, swiftly spiriting away the convict. However, the emergence of CCTV footage from a local hotel has cast doubt on their account.
The footage unveils a different narrative, showing the accused officers escorting Wang Xiao to a hotel where he allegedly met his wife in a room. The Chinese convict and his spouse reportedly made a daring escape over the hotel room’s balcony while the officers waited in the reception area.
Despite the damning evidence, Joseph Oteng and Sergeant Isaac Boateng Bonsu have pleaded not guilty. The court, presided over by Mrs. Afia Owusua Appiah, has granted them bail at GhC100,000 each, with two sureties to be justified. Their next appearance is scheduled for April 9, 2024.
Chief Inspector Wisdom Alorwu leads the prosecution, revealing that the complainant was the third in command at Nsawam Medium Security Prisons, with the accused officers serving under his supervision.
The prosecution’s account details events on February 7, 2024, at around 0700 hours, when the two officers were assigned to escort Wang Xiao to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for treatment. Following medical attention at the hospital’s Dental Department, the officers allegedly agreed to accompany the convict to Oceans Hotel in Korle Gonno, where he would meet his wife in exchange for a reward of GHC1,000, to be split between them.
Chief Inspector Alorwu alleges that the officers removed Wang Xiao’s handcuffs and took him to the hotel reception. The second accused, Bonsu, informed the receptionist that they were there to see someone in one of the rooms.
According to the prosecutor, the convict was sent to a room to meet his alleged wife, who offered the officers KFC rice and drink while she spent time alone with her husband. Upon returning to the hotel room to check on the convict, the officers found both the inmate and his alleged wife missing, having apparently escaped through the balcony.
In a twist of events, after the convict’s escape, the accused officers reportedly went to Tema Station Hockey to hide the handcuffs with a witness in the case. They then informed their superiors in Nsawam that the escape occurred when an unregistered Toyota Vitz taxi unexpectedly intercepted them during the escort, with the inmate leaping into the vehicle and fleeing.
The prosecution reveals that the accused were interrogated by prison superiors, leading to a formal complaint submitted to the police on February 13, 2024. Subsequent investigations included a visit to the hotel, where CCTV footage exposed the convict and his wife’s escape, unbeknownst to the accused officers who were relaxing in the reception area after receiving meals from the alleged wife.
