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President John Dramani Mahama has granted amnesty to Nine Hundred and Ninety-Eight (998) prisoners, including first-time offenders, seriously ill persons, and nursing mothers.
A statement issued by the Minister of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, explained that the decision was taken following the recommendation of the Prisons Service Council and in consultation with the Council of State.
The exercise was carried out in line with Article 72(1) of the 1992 Constitution, out of a total of One Thousand and Fourteen (1,014) names recommended for clemency.
According to the statement, the amnesty covered a broad category of convicts as part of efforts to decongest Ghana’s prisons and to ensure a measure of fairness and compassion in the justice system.
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Nsawam prison
The breakdown of beneficiaries is as follows:
First-time offenders – Seven Hundred and Eighty-Seven (787)
Death sentences commuted to life imprisonment – Eighty-Seven (87)
Life sentences commuted to 20-year definite terms – Fifty-One (51)
Seriously ill prisoners – Thirty-Three (33)
Prisoners over 70 years of age, irrespective of offence – Thirty-Six (36)
Nursing mothers – Two (2)
Special petitions granted – Two (2)
Article 72(1) of the Constitution
Under Article 72(1) of the Constitution, the President, acting in consultation with the Council of State, may:
(a) grant a pardon to a convicted person either free or subject to lawful conditions;
(b) grant a respite, either indefinite or for a specified period, from the execution of a punishment;
(c) substitute a less severe punishment for one already imposed; or
(d) remit the whole or part of a punishment or penalty imposed.
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This constitutional provision forms the basis of the President’s decision, which aligns with previous efforts to balance justice with compassion while addressing the long-standing issue of overcrowding in Ghana’s correctional facilities.
