The Court of Appeal has overturned the life sentence handed to William Baah, a former Assemblyman for Denkyira Obuasi in the Central Region, who was convicted of abetting the killing of Major Maxwell Adam Mahama.
Delivering a unanimous decision on Wednesday, November 20, 2025, the three-member panel ruled that the trial judge, Justice Mariama Owusu—then a Supreme Court Justice sitting as an additional High Court judge—wrongly directed the jury, leading to Baah’s conviction.
According to the appellate court, the misdirection was so significant that “the jury would not have returned a guilty verdict if they had been properly instructed.”
A key error, the court noted, was the reliance on cautioned statements from two other accused persons that implicated Baah. The panel stressed that such statements can only be used against the individuals who made them, and only if made in the presence of the person they implicate.
“The judge was required to ignore those statements when directing the jury,” the ruling stated.
The Court of Appeal also found that the two statements in question contained major inconsistencies and raised doubts about their reliability.
William Baah’s appeal was argued by his lawyer, George Bernard Shaw.
Major Mahama was brutally lynched in Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region on May 29, 2017, while on duty. The tragic incident unfolded after he was mistakenly identified as a robber by the community.
Following the lynching, over 50 suspects were initially apprehended, and after screening, 14 individuals were selected for prosecution.
Notable among them were William Baah, the former Assemblyman for Denkyira Obuasi, Bernard Asamoah (alias Daddy), Kofi Nyame (aka Abortion), Akwasi Boah, Kwame Tuffour, Joseph Appiah Kubi, Michael Anim, and Bismarck Donkor.
The remaining accused persons were John Bosie, Akwasi Baah, Charles Kwaning, Emmanuel Badu, Bismarck Abanga, and Kwadwo Anima.
