Two prison officers have been exposed by CCTV footage aiding Wang Xiao, Chinese Prisoner to escape prison at Nsawam.
The two officers are currently facing charges in an Accra Circuit Court. Joseph Oteng and Sergeant Isaac Boateng Bonsu stand accused of conspiracy and aiding escape.
Initially, the accused officers claimed that after accompanying Wang Xiao to the hospital, they were approached by a car, which then drove off with the convict. However, CCTV footage from a nearby hotel contradicted their account. The footage revealed that Oteng and Bonsu escorted Wang Xiao to a hotel to meet his wife in a room.
Subsequently, the convict and his wife allegedly escaped through the room’s balcony while the officers waited in the hotel’s reception area. Both officers have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Presiding over the case, Mrs. Afia Owusua Appiah granted bail to the accused officers in the sum of GhC100,000 each, with two sureties to be justified. They are scheduled to reappear in court on April 9, 2024.
According to Chief Inspector Wisdom Alorwu, who leads the prosecution, the complainant was the third in command at Nsawam Medium Security Prisons, and the accused officers served under his supervision.
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The prosecution alleges that on February 7, 2024, Oteng and Bonsu were assigned to escort Wang Xiao to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for treatment. After the medical treatment, the officers agreed to accompany Wang Xiao to a hotel in exchange for a reward of GHC1,000.
Once at the hotel, the accused officers removed Wang Xiao’s handcuffs and escorted him to the reception area. They then informed the receptionist that they were there to visit someone in one of the rooms.
The prosecution claims that while in the room with Wang Xiao’s alleged wife, the officers were offered food and drinks. However, when they returned to the room to check on Wang Xiao, they discovered that both he and his alleged wife had escaped through the balcony.
Chinese Escape Nsawam Prison
After the escape, Oteng and Bonsu reportedly hid the handcuffs at Tema Station Hockey and falsely reported to their superiors that the prisoner had escaped during a confrontation with unknown individuals.
Following an investigation, during which the accused officers led the police to the hotel, CCTV footage confirmed the events leading to the escape. It was only after the hotel staff alerted them that they realized Wang Xiao had escaped.
The case underscores the importance of thorough investigations and the use of surveillance technology in ensuring the integrity of the criminal justice system.