The Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Georgina T. Wood, is yet to assign a court for the prosecution of the five persons arrested in connection with the alleged abuse and neglect of children in the Country Children’s Home at Awutu Bawjiase in the Central Region.
As a result, four of the persons were sent back to police custody where they had been since they were arrested on February 2, 2015.
The four are Ernest Osei Wusu, administrator; Justice Appiah, accountant; Justice Quarshie, a librarian and Eunice Abena, a nurse.
However, the founder of the home, Mrs Emelia Boafo Yeboah, was absent in court as she was said to be indisposed and on admission at the hospital.
The four suspects were taken to the Gender Based Violence Court of the Circuit Court on February 5, to have their case heard but after waiting for hours without the case being called, the prosecutor, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr Abraham Annor, told the lawyers of the four persons that the docket on the case had been sent to the Chief Justice to assign the case to the appropriate court.
The lawyers for the suspects filed a motion on notice for a writ of Habeas Corpus at the Human Rights Division of an Accra High Court, asking for the whereabouts of their clients.
They wanted the court to make an order directing the officer in charge of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Ghana Police Service to produce the applicants before the court.
The five suspects were arrested on February 2, 2015 by a combined police team, following an exposé by ace investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, that the rights of the children of the home were being abused.
In a 17-paragraph affidavit in support of the motion, the counsel for the applicants, Dr Kwaku Nsiah, said the relatives of the founder of the home and other applicants did not know where the applicants where being detained.
They, therefore, prayed the court to compel the police to produce the five persons in court.
He also prayed the court to order the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Ghana Police Service to explain why the applicants should not be released either conditionally or unconditionally.
The affidavit stated that Mrs Yeboah was hypertensive and diabetic and had not been taking her medication since her arrest and detention, while Justice Appiah was undergoing malaria treatment before his arrest and detention.
“We strongly believe that if Mrs Yeboah and Appiah are not allowed to continue with their medication, their condition may deteriorate and they might die,” it said.
Following the exposure of happenings at the Countryside Children’s Home at Awutu Bawjiase in the Central Region by Anas Aremeyaw Anas, the five persons were arrested.
In his latest undercover investigations, Anas and his team uncovered poor feeding, forced fasting, sale of donated items, abuse, neglect, pregnancy, abortion and lack of proper health care at the home, after living in it for six months.
The investigations, which were carried out in collaboration with the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) and titled: “‘Care’ less: the devil and the orphanage”, revealed that the home had been turned into a business venture by Mrs Boafo Yeboah.
It was discovered that the children were made to pose for photo opportunities to receive items from donors, only to be starved.
Many of the items donated by individuals and organisations were sold openly by the founder.
The investigations also uncovered that the lack of supervision had led to inmates engaging in wanton sex.
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