The Supreme Court has awarded GH¢800,000 in compensation to Yaw Appiah, a bar owner who was wrongfully convicted and spent nearly two decades in prison for robbery, in a landmark ruling addressing wrongful conviction and prolonged imprisonment.

The apex court, presided over by Justice Avril Lovelace-Johnson, delivered the decision on February 10, 2026, after finding that Appiah had suffered a miscarriage of justice following his conviction and 45-year sentence in 2011.

The five-member panel, which included Justice Prof. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, Justice Samuel Asiedu, Justice Yaw Darko Asare, and Justice Kweku Tawiah Ackaah-Boafo, awarded the compensation after considering submissions from both the applicant and the State.

Case background

Yaw Appiah, a drinking bar owner, was arrested in 2006 and spent five years on remand before being convicted in 2011 for robbery at the age of 29. He was subsequently sentenced to 45 years in prison.

However, in March 2025, the Court of Appeal acquitted and discharged him after ruling that he had been wrongfully convicted. The appellate court described the conviction as a “tragedy” after he had already served about 19 years in Nsawam Prison.

His acquittal triggered a formal application for compensation at the Supreme Court.

Compensation application

Appiah’s lawyers, Augustine Obour and Claudia Coleman, filed an application under Article 14(5) and (7) of the 1992 Constitution, seeking GH¢2,020,800 in compensation for wrongful imprisonment.

The State, represented by Principal State Attorney Nana Adoma Osei, however, proposed a much lower figure, suggesting between GH¢75,000 and GH¢100,000.

After reviewing the case, the Supreme Court awarded GH¢800,000, stating that the amount was appropriate based on legal principles, including guidance from the Dodzi Sabbah case.

Constitutional basis

The ruling was grounded in Article 14 of the 1992 Constitution, which provides for compensation in cases of unlawful detention and wrongful conviction.

Article 14(5) states that individuals unlawfully arrested or detained are entitled to compensation, while Article 14(7) empowers the Supreme Court to award compensation where an appellate court or the apex court itself overturns a conviction.