A statement released by the Office of the President on January 6, 2025, has categorically denied reports suggesting that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has granted a presidential pardon to certain individuals.
The statement, signed by Director of Communications Eugene Arhin, urged the public to disregard any contrary information and rely on official communications from the Office of the President.
However, reports had earlier emerged indicating that the President had exercised his constitutional powers to pardon nine convicted persons, including William Ato Essien of the defunct Capital Bank.
The decision, reportedly made in accordance with Article 72 (1) of the Constitution, had sparked mixed reactions from the public.
The nine individuals reportedly granted pardon or had their sentences reduced include Akwasi Alhassan, who was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in 1993.
Alhassan’s sentence was commuted to life imprisonment after spending 31 years in prison.
Beatrice Ofori, a 64-year-old woman convicted of human trafficking, was also reportedly granted pardon due to her poor health.
Other beneficiaries of the President’s pardon reportedly include William Ato Essien, who was convicted for his role in the collapse of Capital Bank, and Frank Obeng, who was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 40 years in prison. Obeng’s sentence was reportedly reduced to 12 years.
It is worth noting that President Akufo-Addo has exercised his prerogative of mercy in the past.
In 2020, he granted amnesty to 794 prisoners as part of efforts to decongest the country’s prisons amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
The move was in accordance with Article 72 (1) of the Constitution, which empowers the President to grant pardons to convicted persons, except in cases of impeachment.
BY Daniel Bampoe