Amnesty: 900 prisoners granted presidential pardon

President John Dramani Mahama has granted amnesty to 900 prisoners including a 92-year-old man as Ghana marks 55th anniversary as a Republican country on July 1.

The freed prisoners include 883 first offenders who have shown good behaviour and have served half or more of their sentences and 14 prisoners on death row who have served at least 10 years, a statement from the Interior Ministry announced.

The prisoners who received presidential pardon also include one prisoner who is very ill and another, who is serving life imprisonment and has served 10 years, but has had his sentence commuted to a definite term of 20 years.

The presidential pardon was granted based on ill health, advanced age and satisfactory behaviour of inmates, the statement said.

President Mahama tasked them to be of good behaviour in society and called on the general public to accept them.