Ghana's President Mahama pardons nearly 1,000 prisoners

Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama, in an exercise of presidential clemency, has granted amnesty to 998 prisoners, authorities announced on Monday evening.

The president's action followed a recommendation from the Prisons Service Council, which had initially sought pardon for 1,014 individuals.

Presidential Spokesman Felix Kwakye Ofosu, in a statement, said the decision was also taken in consultation with the Council of State, the Ghana News Agency reports.

Of those granted amnesty, 787 were first-time offenders. The president also commuted the sentences of 87 death row prisoners to life imprisonment.

Vulnerable groups

The statement added that 51 inmates serving life sentences will now have their terms reduced to a definite period of 20 years.