Court of Appeal to Deliver Judgment in Case of Alleged Accomplice of Notorious Armed Robber Ataa Ayi
The Court of Appeal has set 5th June 2025 to deliver its judgment in the appeal case involving Yaw Asante Agyeman, an alleged accomplice of the infamous Ghanaian armed robber Ayi Ayeetey popularly known as Ataa Ayi.
Asante Agyeman, a mechanic by profession, was sentenced to 35 years imprisonment in December 2002 after being found guilty of conspiracy to commit robbery. Since then he has already served over 20 years of his jail term.
In court on Monday, 28th April 2025, counsel for Asante Agyeman Bernard Kwabena Shaw argued that there was no direct evidence linking his client to any robbery activities. He explained that Asante Agyeman’s only connection to Ataa Ayi’s gang was that he repaired motorcycles at his workshop, some of which were allegedly used by members of the criminal syndicate.
The link to Ataa Ayi was that most of the bikes used by the robbers in Ataa Ayi’s fraternity were repaired in his workshop. So, when the swoop was done on Ataa Ayi, for some reason because they saw his name on their phones they charged him together with the others for conspiracy to commit robbery. He had no counsel and was sentenced to 35 years with the others, Mr. Shaw explained to journalists after the hearing.
Mr. Shaw further revealed that the appeal case came to his attention through the intervention of a former Governor of the Nsawam Prison, who highlighted the circumstances surrounding Agyeman’s imprisonment.
The legal battle has spanned eight years, and with judgment now set for June, hopes are high that justice will finally be served in a case that has drawn significant public attention.
Meanwhile, Ataa Ayi, the notorious leader of the robbery syndicate, remains behind bars, serving close to 100 years for multiple armed robbery offenses committed in the early 2000s.
The upcoming ruling is being closely watched as it could have major implications for the judicial handling of cases involving alleged accomplices in major criminal syndicates.