The decision, which affects nearly a thousand inmates out of 1,014 recommended for pardon, was made in consultation with the Council of State and upon the recommendation of the Prisons Service Council, according to a statement from the presidency.
The amnesty, sanctioned under Article 72(1) of the Ghanaian constitution, covers a wide range of convicts. The largest group, numbering 787, consists of first-time offenders.
Other categories of prisoners granted clemency include 51 inmates whose life sentences will be reduced to a 20-year definite term, and 33 who are seriously ill.
The pardon also extends to 36 prisoners over the age of 70, two nursing mothers, and two others who were granted amnesty based on special petitions.
The statement, signed by Felix Kwakye Ofosu, a Member of Parliament and government communications minister, outlined the categories of the pardoned convicts as a move to decongest the country's prisons and show mercy. Presidential pardons are a regular feature of Ghana's legal and constitutional framework, often granted to mark national celebrations or on compassionate grounds.
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