After 33 years in jail, Emmanuel Tetteh, 75, who was erroneously given a death sentence for murder, has finally been freed.
Along with one other Grumah who was innocent, Tetteh was imprisoned alongside Tengey, the murder suspect.
While being tortured by the authorities to identify his accomplices, Tengey claimed that Tetteh and Grumah were guilty of the murder even though they were not involved in the crime.
I was tortured by police officers at gunpoint to name my accomplices. I could not withstand it so initially, the name that came to my mind was Tetteh. The beatings did not stop so I mentioned Gruma’s name too as another accomplice. They arrested him too and they arraigned us before the court. I regret my actions and I ask for forgiveness, he pleaded.
Tetteh and Grumah made loud protests claiming they had no knowledge of the case, but police investigations led to their execution together with Tengey.
After spending three months in jail, Grumah passed away from shock.
Tetteh said that his punishment was then changed to a life term.
Four years ago, Tengey and Tetteh were interviewed by crimecheckghana.org in the Ankaful Maximum Security Prison. Tengey acknowledged that his alleged accomplices were innocent of the murder, but he implicated them on purpose in the hopes of avoiding torture.
Tetteh was pardoned by the president after serving 33 years in jail, but he was not given any compensation in return.
After his release, Mr. Tetteh's tragic tale did not come to an end since his closest buddy from his hometown in the Western Region took over his family and wed his wife, with whom they have since had four children.
He said that his wife betrayed her new husband by returning to him when she learned of his homecoming.
When I was released, I went to the village. Many people thought I was dead so it was difficult for them to believe it was me. They thought I was a ghost. It was after five days, my wife heard I had returned. I did not bother to see her because of what she did. However, she came to see me and I forgave her.
Background to the story
According to Mr Tengey, he was employed by a neighbour on a contract basis.
He said that the neighbour owes him money after failing to do so for 10 months and that when he sought payment, the neighbour assaulted him with a broken bottle.
I worked for him in his house and did any other job he wanted me to do for him. After ten months, he sacked me without paying me and when I went to ask for my money he rather attacked me with a broken bottle with which he injured me. There was no nearby police station to report the issue so I could not let go, he said.
Three months later, according to Mr Tengey, he ran into his neighbour—whom he had previously worked for—on the way to his farm. He said that after making a demand for his money, they got into a quarrel.
He said that during the argument, he slaughtered his neighbour with the machete he was wielding, ultimately killing him.
I was arrested the following day after the incident. At the police station, I was subjected to severe torture, which I could not withstand. The police officers pointed a gun at my head amid the torture to mention the name of my accomplice. I committed the crime alone but they insisted that I did it with somebody. I only saw Tetteh when he came to visit the man I had worked for to collect a refund of his money. His name came to my mind so I mentioned it to them, he recounted.
Tetteh, Tengey, and Grumah who was later named as an accomplice were sentenced to death by hanging in 1988.