Mr. Benjamin Kofi Quashie, Ghana’s High Commissioner-designate to South Africa, has defended President John Mahama’s decision to grant amnesty to 998 prison inmates, emphasizing that the move is a constitutional duty rather than a political favor.
Speaking on the AM Show on Joy News, Mr. Quashie stressed that presidential amnesty follows a strict legal process involving the Council of State and the Prisons Service Council before final approval by the President. “The president doesn’t grant amnesty on whims but only after a thorough and elaborate process has been finalised,” he said.
Addressing calls for the list of beneficiaries to be made public, Mr. Quashie described such demands as politically biased. He noted that similar amnesties granted under previous administrations, including President Akufo-Addo’s, did not provoke calls for transparency from opposing parties.
Beyond the procedural defense, Mr. Quashie highlighted the reformative purpose of prisons. He urged Ghanaians to view prisons not merely as places of punishment but as institutions for rehabilitation. “If the Prisons Council has determined that these inmates are reformed and ready for reintegration, we should remove politics from the discussion,” he said.
He also underscored that the Constitution deliberately allows discretion over publicising amnesty beneficiaries, with records accessible through the Prisons Service for those with legitimate interest. Mr. Quashie’s remarks reinforce the perspective that presidential amnesty is both a legal prerogative and a tool for supporting the reintegration of reformed inmates into society.
