PIX: The Executive Car Dealers Association  led by Chairman Maxi, in a group photograph with some of the freed prisoners and prison officers

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NINE MALE prisoners, mostly youth, who were serving different sentences at the Kumasi Central Prisons, have walked to their freedom, following the timely intervention and generosity of the Kumasi Executive Car Dealers Association.

Headed by Prince Kumi aka ‘Maxi’, the car dealers paid Gh 10,000 to authorities at the Kumasi Central Prisons for the release of the nine persons, who were serving different jail terms for failing to meet court fines, placed on them for committing various crimes.

The Executive Car Dealers Association in Kumasi after paying the huge amount for the release of the nine prisoners, also donated quantities of sachet water to inmates in the prison to help improve their lives.

Maxi also promised that the association would soon donate chairs to the Kumasi Central Prison for the inmates to sit on during church service, adding that the laudable gesture formed part of their readiness to help the needy in society.

“We would also buy chairs for their church service because religion is one important institution which helps in the reformation of character,” Maxi indicated, urging the rich in society to emulate their shining example and also help prisoners.

Francis Anane, secretary of the association, called for public support for prisoners in the country, noting that some of the inmates may be innocent of the crimes for which they were convicted.

“One could clearly see that the structures here needs maintenance works. Government should immediately step in to renovate the place. Upon engagement, we got to know they are given Gh 1.80 pesewas for feeding. It’s so meagre and needs to be reviewed”, he said.

The Ashanti Regional Public Relations Officer for the Ghana Prisons Service, Superintendent Richard Bukari, thanked the car dealers for bringing relief to the 1,900 inmates, who reside in a facility originally built to house 450 inmates.

He said “80 percent of the prison inmates comprise the youth, most of whom have been jailed for failing to pay fines as low as Gh 200”, adding that but for their crimes, these inmates could be contributing to national development.

“If people would replicate this gesture, more of such petty offenders would be out of the prisons because about 80 percent of the inmates here are youth. Again, none of the nine freed inmates is more than 30 years and is pathetic”, he decried.

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