Mahama freed 896 prisoners because of Elections?

                                                                                                                                                           President John Mahama has granted amnesty to 896 persons from across the country’s prisons.

A statement from government says, “President John Dramani Mahama has, in commemoration of the 56th Republican Anniversary of the Republic of Ghana, granted amnesty to a total of eight hundred and ninety-six (896) prisoners.”

According to the statement, 813 of the pardoned prisoners are first offenders while one prisoner has a special case, a double amputee.

It also mentioned that 63 of the freed prisoners are aged 70n years and above with 16 others seriously ill. Three others were on death row.

President Mahama has now pardoned a total 3,000 prisoners in three years. On July 1 last year, 900 prisoners were pardoned while the figure in 2014 was 1,104.

Article 72 of the Constitution states that “The president may, acting in consultation with the Council of State: grant to a person convicted of an offence a pardon either free or subject to lawful conditions; or discount low price

1. grant to a person a respite, either indefinite or for a specified period, from the execution of punishment imposed on him for an offence; or
2. substitute a less severe form of punishment for a punishment imposed on a person for an offence; or
3. remit the whole or part of a punishment imposed on a person or of a penalty or forfeiture otherwise due to Government on account on any offence.”

The President usually grants amnesty based on recommendations from the Prisons Council.