Legal scholar, Professor Stephen Asare also known as Kwaku Azar, has questioned the criteria used to select the 819 first offenders who have been granted outright release by President John Dramani Mahama.

In a Facebook post on Monday, October 5, 2026, Professor Azar said the President’s constitutional power to grant mercy was not in question but argued that the basis for selecting the beneficiaries needed to be made clear.

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President Mahama has granted presidential pardon to 863 convicted persons as part of activities marking Ghana’s 70th Independence Anniversary on March 6, 2027.

The decision was taken under Article 72(1) of the 1992 Constitution after consultation with the Council of State. The largest category comprises 819 first offenders who have been granted outright release.

The exercise also covers 13 prisoners aged 70 years and above, six seriously ill prisoners and two people released under special recommendations. Eleven death sentences have been commuted to life imprisonment, while six life sentences have been reduced to 20-year definite terms.

Azar said the description “first offender” alone does not provide enough information about how the 819 beneficiaries were selected, since a person convicted for the first time could have received a relatively short sentence or a much longer sentence for a serious offence.

“ What were the eligibility criteria for the 819 first offenders? Were particular offences excluded from the exercise? Were violent offences excluded? Did the length of the sentence matter?” He questioned.

He also questioned whether beneficiaries were required to have served a minimum portion of their sentences before qualifying for outright release.

Another issue he raised was the process through which the prisoners were recommended.

“Who recommended the beneficiaries, and what screening process was followed before the final list of 819 people was approved?” He asked.

Azar also questioned whether the identities of the beneficiaries would be made public, asking: “And importantly, who are the 819 beneficiaries?”

He ended his post by stressing that the questions were aimed at seeking information about the selection process rather than guessing the reasons behind the decision.

The latest exercise comes about a year after President Mahama granted amnesty to 998 prisoners in August 2025 out of 1,014 recommended by the Prisons Service Council, following consultation with the Council of State.

That earlier exercise included 787 first-time offenders, 87 death sentences commuted to life imprisonment, 51 life sentences reduced to 20-year terms, 33 seriously ill prisoners, 36 prisoners aged 70 and above, two nursing mothers and petition cases.

See the the post below



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