The Head of Communications at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Mustapha Salifu, has denied being complicit in the circumstances that led to a Chinese national inmate of the Nsawam Prisons escaping custody while receiving treatment at the hospital.
According to Mr Salifu, Wang Xiao was not in any prison attire and had not been put in cuffs. He noted the prison officers were with the inmate throughout the period he was receiving healthcare.
“He came to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in the company of two prison guards because of toothache. Once he got there, we observed that this patient was not handcuffed.
“He was asked to pay GHC167 for registration because he was non-Ghanaian. After that, he proceeded to the consulting room, where he was seen and assessed. He was then asked to go for an X-ray. While he was going for the X-Ray he was still not in handcuffs.
“After giving them the brief of the procedure, we told them it would cost GHC616. The prisoner said he did not have that much on him so he was rescheduled to report back at the hospital on Friday, February 9, but has since not returned to the hospital,” Mustapha Salifu narrated.
“When he was leaving however, he left in the company of the prison officers who escorted him and so as far as we’re concerned, the Prison Officers left Korle Bu with the patient and headed back to Nsawam,” he indicated in an interview with 3news.
The 39-year-old Chinese National has since been declared wanted by the Ghana Police after reports that he escaped custody.
Wang Xiao was arrested in Tema, underwent a court trial on charges of stealing and was jailed one year at the Nsawam Prison.
According to the Ghana Police, he is standing trial in another case, said to be a serious offence.
Officers who are related to the issue are undergoing interrogations as investigations are underway.