Court Jails Two Men for Failing To a Pay GH¢600 Court Fine

• Two men have been sentenced to three months’ imprisonment with hard labour for illegally dumping refuse at the Accra Post Office area
• Albert Okai and Amoako Darko were initially fined as a punishment, but since they could not pay the money, they were sentenced to prison
• Several Ghanaians who saw the post on social media thronged the comment section to share their thoughts on the matter

A court in Accra has sentenced two persons, Albert Okai and Amoako Darko, to 3 months in prison with hard labour for illegally dumping refuse at the Accra Post Office and failing to pay the fine.

Albert Okai and Amoako Darko were handed a 50 penalty units each, which amounted to GH¢600. However, they were not able to pay, hence the court’s decision to jail them for three months each.

The two were sentenced to three months in prison with hard labour at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison.

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According to the Mayor of Accra, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, who shared the details, one person had been remanded into custody after he pleaded not guilty.

The third accused person, Michael Osei’s fate may be determined at the next court sitting.

The conviction, according to the Accra Mayor, forms part of stringent measures put in place by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) for a clean city.

Reactions to the court sentence

YEN.com.gh collated some reactions to the post shared by @sikaofficial1 on X. Read them below:

@msrukie1 said:

“You can imagine the level of poverty one has to be in to be going to jail because they couldn’t raise the 600 cedis fine. No human being should be this poor.”

@blaquegatsby wrote:

“And yet you’ll find some youth defending public officers who squander millions of state funds. This is sad.”

@prichadavido said:

“Prison? What happened to community punishment? Sweep the streets of Accra for those months. Not every crime should add to the woes of our prison system. We should now consider making people work in our society under supervision.”

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@LilQweci wrote:

“Yet those who took millions from the nation are still out there wow, what a joke of a country Ghana is. One day, we would be wise to take the nation, and all the indigenous people (politicians) would pay for their evil.”

@AnnyOsabutey said:

“How is this a prison sentence when community service can be more appropriate? The law courts are just there for the financially handicapped, yet folks alleged to have stolen millions from the state are freely working and walking. And we are equal before the law?”

@PhreePhyfe wrote:

“Dumping of refuse is equal to Ghs 600 (50 units), which is equal to 3 months imprisonment. What will happen to Ken Ofori-Atta and Co?”

@pastor_mensah said:

“A non-custodial sentence is the best alternative to a prison sentence. These individuals should be permitted to sweep and clean gutters inside Accra Central for six months under the supervision of a security guard rather than serving a jail sentence.”

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@Bridget_Otoo asked:

“If we pay, will they let them go home ?? Lawyers here, is it too late?”

Nsawam prison inmates graduate from UCC

YEN.com.gh reported that some inmates of the Nsawam Prison graduated with bachelor’s degrees from the University of Cape Coast (UCC).

UCC facilitated the programme through its College of Distance Education (CoDE) programme.

Social media users who saw the post expressed joy for the prisoners and congratulated them.

Source: YEN.com.gh