Christian Atsu: Ghana Parliament Urged To Grant Atsu’s Wish By Passing Non-Custodial Sentencing Bill Into Law

• A lady has appealed Ghana's Parliament to grant Christian Atsu's passionate desire of seeing the non-custodial sentencing bill passed into law
• @afia.arthur said in a Facebook post on Saturday, January 18, 2023 that a lasting legacy in Atsu's honour would be for lawmakers to pass the bill into law
• The Ghanaian football international was active in the campaign that freed hundreds of youths jailed over petty fines

A Ghanaian lady has made a passionate appeal to the Parliament of Ghana to grant Christian Atsu's passionate desire to see the non-custodial sentencing bill passed into law.

The lady, @afia.arthur, who is also a journalist said shared Atsu's post back in 2021 in which the Ghanaian international footballer lamented the Legislature's inability to pass the bill into law, while vibrant youths in Ghana's society are thrown in crowded jails over petty offences.

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"Ghana Parliament, as we mourn our brother [Atsu], can you grant this wish of his now that he can't be here to assist these ones?" the Facebooker made a passionate appeal to lawmakers.

Non-custodial sentencing is an alternative to a prison sentence that does not involve incarceration, but a judge can convict an offender to community service.

Sometimes persons serving non-custodial sentencing are supervised by a probation officer for the period.

Atsu's body flown to Ghana

The body of the Ghana Black Stars winger was rescued from a pile of rubble 12 days after a devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit south-eastern Turkey and the north of Syria.

So far over 35,000 people have died from the catastrophe that hit the two countries on Monday, February 6, 2023.

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His body arrived in Ghana on Sunday, February 19, 2023 onboard Turkish Airlines.

Atsu's work with Crime Check to free tens of jailed petty offenders

Christian Atsu has been for many years obsessed with freeing young and old Ghanaians who have been thrown in jail for their inability to pay small fines slapped on them by the courts for petty offences.

In recent times he has been working closely with Crime Check TV to pay the fines of many people serving jail terms.

In 2018 for instance, he paid for the release of nine prisoners, after donating £7,000.

Before that, the attacker was in the news for paying for the release of a 62-year-old woman and her daughter who were imprisoned for stealing corn.

Atsu's post in 2021 that triggered the appeal to Parliament by @afia.arthur reads as follows:

"A nation that has no Non-Custodial Law will needlessly throw petty offenders into prison and feed them with the taxpayers' money when such offenders could have desilt our choked and stinking gutters.

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"Through financial support from philanthropist, Ali Ibrahim and others, Crime Check foundation has paid the fines and secured the release of these eight petty offenders from Koforidua local prison today.

"I just don’t understand why parliament has consistently pushed aside the passage of the Non-Custodial Sentencing Bill Into Law. God bless Ali Ibrahim."

Check TV founder says Atsu spoke to him

YEN.com.gh reported in a separate story that Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng the founder of Crime Check Foundation and a close friend of Christian Atsu's says he dreamt about the Black Stars player.

According to Ibrahim, this was the first time he ever saw Atsu in his sleep, and this happened the night before his body was found in Turkey.

Ibrahim recalls how Atsu gave him assurance that he was safe and having a good time with his wife and children.

Source: YEN.com.gh