The Court of Appeal has set aside the conviction of the former Assembly Member for Denkyira Obuasi, William Baah, who had been serving a life sentence after being found guilty of abetting the murder of Major Maxwell Adam Mahama.

The decision was delivered by a three-member panel that unanimously held that the verdict reached by the High Court was unsafe.

In its ruling, the appellate court stated that the trial judge, Justice Mariama Owusu — then a Justice of the Supreme Court sitting as a High Court judge — misdirected the jury in a manner that fundamentally affected the outcome of the case.

According to the judgement, the misdirection was so critical that “the jury would not have returned a verdict of guilt if they had been properly directed.”

The Court of Appeal also concluded that the High Court erred by relying on cautioned statements from two other accused persons, statements which implicated Baah but were inadmissible for the purpose of directing the jury.

“The Judge was bound to disregard the incriminating statements when directing the jury,” the panel stated, stating that the errors were serious enough to nullify the conviction entirely.

With the ruling, Baah’s life sentence has been overturned, bringing a significant turn in one of the most high-profile criminal cases in recent years.

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