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| Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, NDC General Secretary |
“The President has acted within the remit of his powers; that is all. I don’t think it deserves the level of debate that is going on at all because this has nothing to do with the law but the power given to him in the constitution,” Asiedu Nketia stated on Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia Morning Show.
He stressed that President Mahama "under Article 72 has been given that power as all Presidents in Ghana have had occasion to exercise it, thus it is called a prerogative of mercy which can be exercised to free even a murderer if the President so desires."
Mr. Asiedu Nketia also stressed that the President’s remission does not absolve the Montie 3 of their crimes as they are still tagged as contemnors.
He explained that the pardon "doesn’t mean that the beneficiaries are not guilty or anything. In fact if they are not guilty then they don’t need mercy. Mercy is granted to somebody who is guilty.”
The outspoken NDC stalwart again held the view that President needs not provide justification for his decision to pardon the Montie 3 despite the criticism coming from political circles and the public.
“ . . it has never been the practice that when that power is exercised, the President should justify why he has pardoned the convicted persons.”
“The President has consulted the Council of State and that is all that he needs to do. There is no requirement of the president explaining why he had mercy for one person or the other so the President doesn’t owe anybody any explanation,” Asiedu Nketia chided.
A statement signed by the Minister of Communications, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, indicated that the President had taken the decision to pardon the three on ‘compassionate grounds’ given the remorse they had demonstrated.
“The decision of His Excellency the President to remit their sentences on compassionate grounds follows a petition submitted to him by the contemnors appealing to the President to exercise his prerogative of mercy even as they continue to express deep remorse and regret for the unacceptable statements they made against the Judiciary,” the statement said.
The Montie trio caused public outrage when they threatened to rape and murder justices of the Supreme Court during a political talk show.
Godwin Ako-Gunn, Alistair Nelson and Salifu Maase believed the Supreme Court did not rule justly when it ordered the Electoral Commission to delete names of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) card registrants from the electoral roll.
The NHIS card had been ruled out as legitimate proof of citizenship by the Court in an earlier ruling.
The three were handed down a four-month jail term with a Ȼ10, 000 fine for each after they were convicted of criminal contempt on their own plea.
The trio had expressed their regret for the comments they made and called on the President to bear in mind the embarrassment their conduct and incarceration had caused their loved ones.
Thus following a petition signed by many bigwigs of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) and thousands of grassroots supporters, President Mahama on Monday, August 22, 2016 remitted the sentence given the three known sympathizers of the party.
The three are expected to be released on Friday August 26, 2016.
Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com.gh
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