The Supreme Court has awarded GH¢800,000 in compensation to Yaw Appiah, a bar owner who was wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for nearly two decades.
Appiah’s case first gained public attention on March 7, 2025, when Starrfm.com.gh reported that the Court of Appeal had acquitted and discharged the 48-year-old after he spent 19 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.
He had been convicted in 2011 and sentenced to 45 years for robbery. However, before his conviction, Appiah had already spent five years on remand following his arrest in 2006. In total, he spent close to 20 years in Nsawam Prison.
In overturning the conviction, the Court of Appeal described the case as a “tragedy.”
Following his acquittal, his lawyers, Augustines Obour and Claudia Coleman, filed an application at the Supreme Court seeking compensation. Appiah requested GH¢2,020,800, presenting a detailed breakdown to support the claim.
The prosecution, led by Principal State Attorney Nana Adoma Osei, argued for a significantly lower amount, suggesting compensation between GH¢75,000 and GH¢100,000.
A five-member panel of the Supreme Court, chaired by Justice Avril Lovelace-Johnson and including Justices Prof. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, Samuel Asiedu, Yaw Darko Asare, and Kweku Tawiah Ackaah-Boafo, ruled that GH¢800,000 was appropriate. The court referenced legal principles established in the Dodzi Sabbah case in reaching its decision.
The ruling was delivered on February 10, 2026.
Appiah’s application was filed under Article 14(5) and (7) of the 1992 Constitution, which provide for compensation in cases of unlawful detention and wrongful conviction.
Article 14(5) states that anyone unlawfully arrested or detained is entitled to compensation, while Article 14(7) allows the Supreme Court to award compensation to individuals who are acquitted after serving part or all of a sentence.
