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I freed Montie 3 because they showed remorse, I'd have done same even if they weren't NDC - Mahama

By Jeffrey Owusu-Mensah
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President John Mahama has stated that he did not remit the four-month sentences of the Montie trio because they were National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters but because “the three showed remorse for what they did".

The trio, Salifu Maase aka Mugabe, a political talk show host with pro-NDC station Montie FM and two of the show's panellists Alistair Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn were on  July 27, 2016, convicted by the Supreme Court for scandalising the court after its ruling on the Abu Ramadan-EC case.

The sentence,  considered by, many especially NDC sympathisers, as harsh, led lawyers for the convicts to petition President Mahama to pardon their clients.

The President on August 22, after consultations with the Council of State remitted the sentences of the trio.

The remission of the sentences just like the conviction itself divided public opinion and the President had a lot of criticisms thrown his way.

But explaining the rationale behind his decision on Metro TV's Good Evening Ghana Tuesday, President Mahama said, "even before they were called before the court they had show remorse, apologised and retracted what they said", adding that "I don't know what benefit it would have been to anybody [for them to serve] the three extra months".

According to him, “the general consensus was that four months was quite a harsh punishment to impose for that kind of crime" and would have done same even if the trio were not NDC members.

He explained that Article 72 of the Constitution was placed there so that in the event of a harsh conviction there would be some extenuating power to mitigate it and since he consulted thoroughly with the Council of State, he did not err.

He also pointed out that convicts were only granted a remission which reduced their duration in prison but they still remained convicts  and the GHC30, 000 fine they paid is still in state coffers.

 

READ ALSO: Why I condemend Akufo-Addo

 

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